Combining modern geophysics and archaeology with ancient mythology, William Ryan and Walter Pitman--both senior geologists at Columbia University--present astonishing evidence of the reality of the biblical story in their book Noah's Flood. The authors have been researching the Mediterranean since the 1970s, tracing its history back to six million years ago when it was a mineral-rich but almost dry desert with the only water in shallow lagoons. The sea later re-filled when water flooded back through the Straits of Gibraltar. Pitman and Ryan's idea is based on the possibility that something similar could have happened in the Black Sea 7600 years ago and was recorded as Noah's flood by the survivors. With the aid of climatological records, archaeological dating, and geophysical
… read more...surveys, Pitman and Ryan reveal that below the sea, shallow water sediments can be found. Archeological evidence also indicates a dispersion of the populace to new settlements in southern Europe, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Asia. DNA shows genetic connections between people living in these regions nowadays and those who live around the Black Sea. Together with records of geological observations made by 19th-century explorers which support their theory, the possibility that the Black Sea was once dry and then flooded is a distinct possibility. Noah's Flood is the culmination of impressive scientific research aimed at reconstructing an ancient myth. Moreover, it's a fascinating account of adventure and discovery.Read More read less...