Archaeological evidence that a late 14th-century tsunami devastated the coast of northern Sumatra

A team of researchers with members from Singapore, Indonesia, Ireland and the U.K. has found more evidence of a tsunami approximately 600 years ago that destroyed communities in the same part of Sumatra as the 2004 tsunami.

In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their study of gravestones and pottery in the area and what they found. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 was devastating, killing over 280,000 people and displacing millions.

The tsunami was caused by an earthquake just off the coast of Sumatra, one of the islands that make up Indonesia. One of the hardest-hit areas was the province of Aceh, fatalities there were approximately 160,000.

In this new effort, the researchers have found more evidence of a similar tsunami striking the same region in 1394. Geologic evidence uncovered after the 2004 tsunami showed that there had been another tsunami 600 years earlier, but there was little evidence indicating how powerful or devastating it had been.

The work by the new team began when one of its members came across several Muslim gravestones that had been uncovered by the 2004 tsunami. The researchers began searching in earnest for other evidence of people living in the area before and after the earlier tsunami.

Dlium.com Archaeological evidence that a late 14th-century tsunami devastated the coast of northern Sumatra

The researchers report that they found evidence of 10 settlements in the area, nine of which had been completely destroyed by the 1394 tsunami. The 10th settlement was on a hilltop beyond the reach of the giant waves. Study of ceramics from the period showed the destroyed communities dated back to the 11th and 12th centuries.

Study of the surviving settlement showed that the ceramics in the area from that time period came from as far away as Syria and China. It, too, suffered from the tsunami, however, as it went into decline after the tsunami.

The researchers also found evidence that showed Muslim traders moving in to establish new communities where the old ones had stood. The researchers believe these people eventually established an Islamic kingdom known as the Aceh Sultanate.

www.dlium.com Archaeological evidence that a late 14th-century tsunami devastated the coast of northern Sumatra

They further suggest that studies like theirs could provide more information regarding what happens to regions that are destroyed by tsunamis.

Journal : Patrick Daly et al. Archaeological evidence that a late 14th-century tsunami devastated the coast of northern Sumatra and redirected history, PNAS, Tanggal, DOI:10.1073/pnas.1902241116

Comments

Salak (Salacca zalacca)

Salak or snake fruit (Salacca zalacca) is a species of palm plant in Arecaceae, dioesis, shrubs and not trunked, has many thorns, many shoots, grows into dense and strong clumps, spreads below or above the ground, often branching and 10-15 cm diameter.

S. zalacca has compound leaves, pinnate and 3-7 m long. Petiole, midrib and sapling have many long thorns, thin spines and a blackish-gray color. Minor leaves have a lanceolate shape, a pointed tip, 8x85 cm and a white underside by a waxy coating.

The flowers in the cob are compound, appear in the armpit of the leaf, stem, initially covered by a sheath then dry and break down like fibers. Male flowers 50-100 cm long, 4-12 cylindrical items, 7-15 cm long, reddish in the armpits of tightly arranged scales. Female flowers 20-30 cm long, stemmed long and 1-3 items.

The fruit has scaly skin, is eaten and is known as a table fruit, triangular shaped rather rounded or inverted ovoid, pointed at the base and rounded at the tip, 2.5-10 cm long, w…

God is tools

God and spirit are controversial discussions in science and even mythology will have no place among naturalists and for Darwinians. Apparently this has been final that mythology is a delusional, mystical and superstitious concept that cannot be empirically proven in the world of science.

Most scientists and science activists have agreed that god is nonsense, delusional and cannot be accommodated in the theory of evolution. This opinion can be understood methodologically and I agree with the sentences. But so many behaviors are very real and occur in the field.

I am a fieldman who goes to the wild every day, along rice fields and forests to watch insects to plants, talk to people especially in villages, visit Hindu-Buddhist temples built in the 8th century, witnessing busyness in mosques, temples and churches.

I feel something is missing in the view of naturalists and Darwinians. There are short moments that are missed in analyzes in the timeline of human evolution. These little moment…

Devil's backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides)

Pokok lipan or devil's-backbone or redbird flower or christmas candle or Pedilanthus tithymaloides (Euphorbia tithymaloides) are plant species in Euphorbiaceae, upright, evergreen, gummy shrubs, growing in tropical and subtropical regions.

E. tithymaloides likes sandy soils especially with high concentrations of boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. This bush grows to 2.4 m high and 61 cm wide. Simple angiosperm leaves, arranged opposite to the stem where each leaf is sessile with a length of 3.6-7.6 cm.

The stem has the tip of a handle that supports a group of flowers that are not scented. Bifid crown and ovoid. The involucral bracts are bright red, irregular in shape and length from 1.1 to 1.3 mm.

Hairy male and female pedicels. Seed pods are 7.6 mm long, 8.9 mm wide and ovate with clipped ends. Devil's-backbone generally blooms in mid-spring in the subtropical region and in the dry season in the tropics. Pollination is carried out by ants and birds.

Redbird fl…

Barbados lily (Hippeastrum puniceum)

Barbados lily or amaryllis lily (Hippeastrum puniceum) is a species of perennial flowering plant in Amaryllidaceae, grows in the tropics, has 4-6 leaves, bright green, 30-60 cm long and 2.5-3 cm wide, white waxed, tubular and shrink at the ends.

H. puniceum has flowers that grow in the umbel at the end of the stalk which has a height of 40-60 cm and stands tall with a pointed tip at the top. The umbel has lanceolate green bracts at its base. Each stalk has one or two ovaries.

Orange-red petal with yellow or pale base. The two lower tepals are much narrower than lateral. About five white stamens emerge from the end of the tube in the middle of the crown.

A single flower will bloom to face north or south with a curved base where the horizontal flower faces are parallel to the ground, while the stems that have two flowers will bloom to face north and others to the south.

Wild barbados lilies grow in forests, yard, roadside and neglected lands. This plant likes sandy, gravel and rocky soil…

Temulawak (Curcuma zanthorrhiza)

Temulawak or Java ginger or Javanese ginger or Javanese turmeric or Curcuma xanthorrhiza (Curcuma zanthorrhiza) is a plant species in Zingiberaceae, grows well in loose soil in tropical forests in the lowlands to an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level and tubers are used for medicinal herbs and drinks.

C. zanthorrhiza has pseudo stems up to 2 m tall. The stem is a midrib of upright, overlapping leaves, green or dark brown in color. Rhizomes are perfectly formed, large, branched and reddish brown, dark yellow or dark green.

Each bud forms 2-9 leaves with a circular shape extending to lancet, green or light purple to dark brown, leaves 31-84 cm long and 10-18 cm wide, stems 43-80 cm long and each strand is connected with a midrib.

Flowers are dark yellow, uniquely shaped and clustered with lateral inflorescences. The stems and scales are in the form of lines, 9-23cm long and 4-6cm wide, having protectors with comparable crowns. Petals are white, hairy and 8-13mm long.

The crown is tu…

Dlium

Search This Blog