Lectures on Tap - When Nature Ruled: Natural Disasters in the Ancient World

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🧠 Lecture: "When Nature Ruled: Natural Disasters in the Ancient World"

🎤 Speaker: Daniel Alvarado

Natural disasters shaped the ancient world as profoundly as wars and empires. Earthquakes destroyed cities, volcanic eruptions buried entire communities, droughts fueled political instability, and tsunamis transformed coastlines.

In this fascinating lecture, historian Daniel Alvarado will examine famous events such as the eruption of Vesuvius, the Bronze Age eruption of Thera, and devastating earthquakes across the Mediterranean. He will explore how ancient societies interpreted these catastrophes through religion, mythology, and the earliest forms of scientific thought.

Drawing on archaeology, ancient texts, and modern geology, you’ll discover how environmental disasters influenced politics, religion, urban planning, and even the rise and fall of civilizations throughout antiquity.

Daniel Alvarado is a PhD candidate in History and holds an MA in History and Museum Studies from Claremont Graduate University. He has worked as a museum public programs consultant at the Getty Villa and has taught Greek art, archaeology, and ancient history across the Claremont Colleges. His research focuses on Hellenistic Asia Minor and the intellectual history of the Atlantis story.

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