This book is an excellent collection of 28 papers on earthquake seismicity and volcanism, and their associated geological and archaeological contexts. Most of the papers discuss large-scale volcanic events and their catastrophic consequences. The Archaeology of Geological Catastrophes brings together pieces from a wide range of disciplines and a variety of theoretical approaches and methodologies. The contributing authors include geologists, archaeologists, engineers, geophysicists, classicists, petrologists, geographers, archivists, volcanologists, anthropologists, historians, geochronologists, pedologists, geomorphologists, governmental scientists, and civic officials. As a result, the papers reflect the varied character of integrated geoarchaeological investigations within seismically active, volcanic terrains.
The book is an interesting assortment of topical pieces and case studies with a strong Old World focus; there are 16 papers about the Mediterranean region, and five of these are on Thera (i.e., Santorini, Greece). Only four papers in the volume address volcanism in the New World, and three of these concentrate on sites in Mexico. Since the progression of papers is loosely subject-linked, the book is a fairly eclectic cover-to-cover read. Devoted readers of the Geological Society's special publications series will miss the eloquent overviews and summation pieces common to many of their volumes.
Each paper in the book is a well-written, scholarly contribution. Because of the breadth of subjects covered and its multidisciplinary approach, the volume will appeal to a wide audience, including expert researchers and upper-level students. The abstracts accompanying each piece are exceptionally easyto-read, and lack jargon. Case studies from the book could be easily incorporated into lectures and reading packets for students of various disciplines, including classics, archaeology, and environmental geology.
A recurrent theme of the book is the utility of multiproxy studies on known eruption events in the Mediterranean region. Kirk et al. describe the literary materials, photographs, and rock specimens in the Henry James Johnston-Lavis collection at the University College London and their value as archives of volcanism in southern Italy during the late 19th century. Cioni et al. employ the presence of pumice in Bronze Age pottery from Apulia (southeastern Italy) as a long-distance indicator of the eruption of Vesuvius (Italy); using correlations based on temper compositions in the ceramics, they estimate the thickness of the tephra blanket. Another paper with Cioni as the lead author describes the precursory phenomena and destructive events of the Plinian eruptions of Thera and Vesuvius. The piece by Friedrich et al. reconstructs the ring-island of Santorini (i.e., Thera) before its catastrophic eruption Ο³1640 B.C., using analysis of stromatolite colonies, foraminifera, and clay sediments located near the Akrotiri settlement.
Drawing on various literary sources to describe the human reaction to natural disasters, Chester et al. review the volcanism at Etna (Sicily, Italy) during the classical period. Legends and early writings attribute much of its activity to mythological figures. By analyzing various historical records, epic poetry, military campaigns, and the more rational explanations of certain writers like Lucretius, the authors develop a summary timeline of volcanic activity at Etna that is integrated with independent geological observations. Driessen and McDonald discuss the eruption style of the Thera volcano in the 2nd millennium BC, and its devastating effects on Minoan Crete. The associated archaeological record reflects changes in architecture, storage and food production, artisan output, distribution of prestige items,