Danish scientists say they believe a cataclysmic volcanic eruption on the Aegean island of Thera destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete.
The scientists have been studying an olive branch that indicates ash and pumice produced by the explosion created a "nuclear winter" that caused widespread crop failure in the region. The explosion also produced tsunamis that destroyed Minoan ports.
"It is important to have a very precise date for the explosion because this eruption is a global time marker. If we can date it precisely we have an important tool to correlate the times of different cultures," Walter Friedrich, of the University of Aarhus in Denmark, told Britain's Independent newspaper.
The branch was found buried inside a rock formed by the volcanic debris.
The study was published in the journal Science.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
