Critical Review by Robert M. Best
of the book Noah's Flood: The New Scientific
Discoveries
by William Ryan and Walter Pitman
In 1999 Simon&Schuster published the above Noah's Ark book by
marine geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman. In their book they
offer a theory that a
massive flood of sea water flowed into the Black
Sea about 5600 BC. They then try to link this Black Sea flood to the
flood myths in Genesis, the Epic
of Gilgamesh, the Epic of Atrahasis,
and the Sumerian flood myth about
the flood hero Ziusudra. In fairness I
should state that I have published a
competing book Noah's Ark and the
Ziusudra Epic which provides an
alternative theory of the origin of the
Noahian flood myths.
Ryan and Pitman provide evidence in their book that about 5600 BC,
rising water in the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea burst through
the Bosporus valley and poured into the Black sea basin, raising the
water level there about 350 feet to its present level.
However in 2003, a team led by Ali Aksu at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland, Canada and others argue there was no Black Sea flood
at that time. They say that 7,500 years ago the Black Sea was already
full.
The following article refutes the Black Sea flood hypothesis:
home.entouch.net/dmd/bseaflod.htm
See also the scientific paper: "Persistent Holocene Outflow from the Black
Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean Contradicts Noah's Flood Hypothesis":
http://rock.geosociety.org/pubs/GSAToday/toc0205.htm
Moreover, Ryan and Pitman do not provide credible evidence that
identifies this Black Sea flood as Noah's flood.
The Gilgamesh flood hero lived in Shuruppak on the Euphrates River.
But the Black Sea is separated from Shuruppak by more than 700 miles
including 200 miles of high mountains.
Ryan and Pitman cite Gilgamesh IV,5 and V,6 that refer to a "cedar
mountain" located in or near Lebanon (lab-na-nu) and therefore closer
to the Black Sea than Shuruppak. But cedars of Lebanon are not
mentioned in Gilgamesh,XI containing the flood story, and the flood
story was a late addition to the Epic of Gilgamesh and hence is not
related to the cedars of Lebanon. Ryan and Pitman also describe how
people could navigate "the waters of death" and argue that the flood hero
could have warnings of an impending flood in the Black Sea region, but
not in the Euphrates River valley. That may be true, but these story
elements do not unequivocally identify the Black Sea flood as Noah's
flood.
In my book I provide literary and archaeological evidence that Noah's
flood was a river flood that occurred about 2900 BC and I argue as
follows: In the Sumerian King List WB-62, flood hero Ziusudra (Noah)
is identified as a king/chief (lugal) of the city-state Shuruppak. This
link between the flood hero and Shuruppak is further supported in
Gilgamesh XI,23 which refers to the flood hero as "man of Shuruppak."
But the city Shuruppak, then located on the Euphrates River, did not
exist prior to the Jemdet Nasr (JN) period. Therefore the river flood
of Ziusudra/Noah occurred after the beginning of the JN period, i.e.
after 3100 BCE.
The Sumerian King List has the kingship of Sumer moved to the city
of Kish after the flood, and excavation of Kish showed that it flourished
during the Early Dynastic II (ED II) period (2800-2600). Hence Noah's
flood occurred between the JN and ED II periods, i.e. between 3100
and 2800 BCE. Since there was a "cultural break" at the end of the JN
period (2900 BCE), but only a gradual transition between ED I and ED II,
the only plausible candidate for Noah's flood was the river flood between
the JN and ED I periods which has been radio-carbon dated at about
2900 BCE. Therefore Ziusudra/Noah was the last king of the JN period.
As I showed in my book, the pre-flood kings in the Sumerian King List
had relatively short reigns and all reigned during the Jemdet Nasr period.
Erik Schmidt, who excavated Shuruppak, dated the Shuruppak flood
at the beginning of the ED I period, i.e. at the end of the JN period.
Schmidt found JN polychrome pottery and seal cylinders directly below
the flood layer. Therefore the Shuruppak flood of Ziusudra/Noah occurred
at the end of the JN period about 2900 BCE. This eliminates Ryan and
Pitman's 5600 BC Black Sea flood or prior floods from consideration as
Noah's flood.
Robert M. Best
For further information on my book on the Ziusudra Epic, click on book.