Geological data suggest an exceptionally large natural catastrophe in the Black Sea region 7500-7600 yrs. ВР. Before it Black Sea was a fresh water lake with coasts 90–120 m below the recent sea level. This catastrophic rapid flooding of the Black Sea by the Mediterranean Sea waters was dated in numerous samples by 14С at 7 560 ±50 cal. yrs BP. It flooded 160000 km2 and destroyed settlements of the early civilizations around the Black Sea coast. At that time here were settled Indo-Europeans.
We mapped the migration of some of the Vedic tribes all the way from the Black Sea region to India by precise positioning of the established 4399 toponims and hydronames formed on the base of their ethnic names derived from processing and linguistic analysis of 6 900 000 toponims and hydronames on the maps of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.
We make critical analysis of the available geological and archeological data related to the Black Sea Flood in order to establish its reliability and to refine its dating and extend. We demonstrate that timing of the start of formation of sapropel sediments; the formation of hydrogen sulfide zone in the Black Sea as result of decomposition of the sapropel deposits; the appearance of the first marine organisms and the abrupt replacement of the Black Sea freshwater dinocysts by a Mediterranean population coincide in the frames of the experimental error of the dating, with the best age estimate of 7 160 ±50 radiocarbon years BP= 7 560 ±50 cal. yrs BP. It allows us to relate it with the major human migrations at 7500 yrs. ВР as traced and dated by paleolinguistic analysis and archeology. We present a number of climatic, oceanographic, linguistic, calendar, geographic and archaeological evidences suggesting that these events are related. Catastrophic flooding of the region appear to initiate migration of Indo-Europeans and their separation and differentiation in groups like German, Thracian, Illyrian, Greek, Arian, etc. tribes. Thus it strongly affected the development and history of all Indo-European people. The scale of this natural catastrophe suggests that this was perhaps the largest human migration produced by a natural disaster. This work examines
the evidence for the flooding triggering this migration and also examines the extent of that migration.
The timing of the Black Sea Flood as determined by marine evidences and the timing of the start of the massive migration out of the Black Sea region coincides in the frames of the experimental error and is the same as the beginning of the Bible chronology (Creation of the World), i. e. 5500 years B.C. and also as the beginning of the Byzantine and ancient Bulgarian calendars (5505 years B.C.). This suggests that this catastrophic event was so dramatic and had so great consequences for great number of people, to be used as the beginning of the time counting by the people leaving in approximate vicinity to the affected region. At that time all Indo- Europeans (including the ancestors of the ancient Greeks and Bulgarians) were settled at the Black Sea coast, so it is quite reasonable to presume that their chronology starts from the Black Sea Flood as far as this was the most dramatic natural phenomena they faced in their history. It is reasonable to suggest that the migration out of the Black Sea region was initiated by the Black Sea Flood as far as it flooded a significant part of this densely populated region. This submerging of 160 000 square kilometers was caused by a rapid rise of the Black Sea level with about 100 meters. It left homeless and without food supply great part of the Indo Europeans settled around the former sea coast. Therefore this most dramatic disaster in the human history forced them to migrate out of this dangerous region. This way the Black Sea Flood played major role in the Indo Europeans history.
We provide vast range of data demonstrating that Black Sea Flood triggered an outmigration from the Black Sea area into India with major repercussions for present population characteristics as established by comparative genetic studies.
Acknowledgements: This research has been funded by grant 02-337 by the National Science Fund of Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science