CSSN-Study: Flood myths possibly rooted in historical fact

Study: Flood myths possibly rooted in historical fact

Author : Source : Chinese Social Sciences Today 2016-08-22

According to a recent study, an earthquake at some point in prehistory caused a landslide that blocked the Yellow River at Jishi Gorge with a natural dam that created a lake, which then overflowed after months. A few researchers think it is possible this was the flood tamed by Yu the Great, a legendary figure believed to be the founding emperor of the Xia, China’s first dynasty. Some aspects of the myth—which could be considered China’s “origin story”—have been confirmed by an international team of scientists drawn from the fields of archaeology, anthropology, seismology and geology. By studying ancient texts, sedimentary deposits, earthquake-triggered landslides and skeletons in collapsed cave dwellings, the team concluded that the legend of the great flood and the origins of the Xia Dynasty could be real.

Editor: Yu Hui