Flood and Earthquake as Punishment of Gods in Antiquity

Abstract

Disasters are unplanned events that are either natural, technical, or human-induced. They disrupt daily life in human communities and create physical, economic, and social losses for civilizations. Many ancient cultures perceived the disasters that befell them as warnings from the gods and thought that natural disasters were caused by the divinities. Despite the great differences between the worldviews of the ancient societies and the historical changes they underwent, all definitions of relation shared a fundamental structure and function and they were all personalized. This also applies to catastrophes that were justified by a god's purpose or design. Natural catastrophes have been referred to as "natural evils" in theology and philosophy, as opposed to "moral evils," since they do not involve human decision-making. Unlike the modern world, ancient people attributed all natural phenomena to gods and superhuman beings. Lacking science and technology, ancient societies believed that natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods were sent by angry gods as punishment. However, the further back in time the inquiry goes, the more descriptions of catastrophes like floods and earthquakes that have been incorporated into myths and religions are found. In light of ancient recorded sources, the study's objective is to highlight the concept that gods’ anger caused natural calamities.

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