Ideology > The Great Flood
The Great Flood
Background
The Great Flood was a biblical myth told throughout many of the ancient scriptures that describes a cataclysmic event that occurred before civilization as they knew it. Some people believe this story corresponds with an actual event. The problem with determining the authenticity of this myth is that there were many different cataclysmic events that occurred throughout the ancient and pre-historical times that completely devastated humanity.
The biblical accounts probably reflect the Sumerian myth that also describes a great Deluge that devastated mankind before the creation of their society. The idea of a great flooding is also reflected in nearly every culture throughout the globe.
Our best theory of what the Great Flood myth represents is the end of the last Ice Age when the massive glaciers that held most of the worlds water supply began to melt over 2000 years and the sea level on earth was raised about 300 to 400 feet. This would have felt like a virtual flooding of Earth as most human settlements tend to be located near the coast and water.