How earthquakes affected the culture of ancient Greece

The culture of ancient Greece is not in vain considered the basis of all European civilization. Philosophy, theater, literature, exact sciences - all this originated in a small territory by today's standards. But how was the ancient Greek culture formed and what influenced it? A recent study shows that earthquakes, which often happened in those years, played a large role.

Earthquakes as builders

Plymouth University experts believe that the fault lines created by seismic activity in the Aegean region could have a special cultural and sacred status. This, in turn, led to the fact that it was on these places that famous temples and great cities were built.

In the photo: Delphi

Scientists have previously suggested that, for example, Delphi, located at the foot of the southern slope of Mount Parnassus in Phokis, took its important place in classical Greek society, largely due to the intoxicating gases that emanated from the fault line caused by the earthquake. It was under the influence of this gas that the Delphic oracle made its predictions. But now researchers believe that Delphi may not be the only example and that the earthquake faults caused the construction of many other Greek cities, including Mycenae, Ephesus, Cnidus and Hierapolis.

Good sign on the Richter scale

In the photo: Hierapolis

On the one hand, the common location of active faults and ancient cities in parts of Greece and western Turkey may simply be a coincidence, since this entire region is riddled with seismic faults and dotted with ruined settlements. However, many traces of the earthquake do not just cross the surface of buildings and streets, but pass right through the center of the most sacred buildings. This can no longer be explained simply by coincidence and suggests that these structures were erected after the earthquakes.

For example, in Delphi itself, where the sanctuary was destroyed by an earthquake in 373 BC, a new temple was built right on the same fault line. There are many stories about people who became oracles, descending into the underworld. Therefore, some researchers believe that cave systems or grottoes resulting from seismic activity can be a wonderful decoration for these stories.