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6 Natural Disasters Earthquakes Generally, earthquakes and other natural disasters prior to the 17th century were attributed by almost all human societies to the actions of a god, goddess, or other supernatural being who had special control over an event. In the case of early Mesopo- tamia civilizations (5000–3500 bce), for example, the goddess of healing Gula (also known as Ninkarrak) was thought to be responsible for earthquakes and other disasters. She was said to have a violent temper and caused the earth to tremble and the heavens to storm when she became angry (Avalos 1995, 106–107). In the ancient Greek pantheon of gods and god- desses, it was Poseidon, god of the sea, who was also thought to be responsible for earthquakes, as well as other disasters, such as fl oods and storms at sea (Poseidon [Earthshaker, Dark- Haired One, Neptune] 2018). Th roughout early Christian- ity also, earthquakes were attributed to a supernatural being, God, or Yahweh in the Hebrew tradition. Such events were almost always explained as the actions by God to punish hu- mans for evil behavior or, on the other hand, to bring about an event desired by God (such as the opening of Jesus’s tomb) (Chester 2018). Th e fi rst earthquake for which a written record exists is one that struck Mount Tai, in China, in 1831 bce. Th e event is de- scribed in the Bamboo Annals (Zhúshu Jìnián), an encyclopedia of Chinese history from its earliest days (about 2600 bce) to 299 bce. Few details are provided, and no deaths are said to have occurred as a result of the incident. Signifi cant Earthquakes in History One of the fi rst earthquakes for which detailed (if somewhat contradictory) information is available occurred in 17 ce in the kingdom of Lydia. Th e kingdom occupied about half of the western portion of modern-day Turkey. Th e earthquake was reported and described by a number of contemporary authors, including the Roman historians Tacitus and Pliny the Elder