[Rockhounds] Volcanic Eruption in Alaska May Have Sparked Political Turmoil in Ancient Rome

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

An unusually powerful volcanic eruption in 43 BCE has been linked to
political upheaval on the other side of the globe, including the fall of
the Roman Republic and the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of rebellious senators in 44 BCE,
triggering a chain of events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic
and the Ptolemaic Kingdom (a long standing Egyptian dynasty) and the rise
of the Roman Empire. These historic political events were set against a
backdrop of environmental and social instability, including unusually cold
and wet weather, crop failures, famine, and disease.

New research <https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/17/2002722117>
published
this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified
a potential catalyst for these events: the eruption of Okmok volcano in
Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Historians had previously suspected a volcano,
but the new research finally identifies the offending culprit, which
erupted 2,063 years ago. The evidence points to a particularly powerful
eruption, which had a dramatic effect on the Mediterranean climate and
quite possibly its political climate as well.

https://gizmodo.com/volcanic-eruption-in-alaska-may-have-sparked-political-1844147367