History of Disaster Relief, Ancient World

Myth and Legend

Many early natural disasters became the basis for myth: disasters, along with other natural phenomena, were assumed to reflect the whims and moods of the gods, rather than the indifferent mechanisms of the physical universe. Several Mesopotamian, Indian, and African sources speak of a flood that covered the whole of the Earth, which could have been inspired by an ancient tsunami in an era when the known world was considerably smaller than it is today. The story of the disastrous end of Atlantis was widespread enough for Greek philosopher Plato to write about it; most likely it referred to a city destroyed by an earthquake or tsunami. The biblical story of the fall of the walls of Jericho has been theorized to be the result of an earthquake, and there is some evidence that the Trojan horse that ended the war between Greece and Troy was an earthquake that tumbled the impenetrable walls more easily than any siege. Such disasters shaped the course of history: the major shifts in power in ancient Egypt are precipitated by famine-causing droughts and floods, while the social turmoil in the wake of an earthquake was one of the leading causes of the wars between the Greek city-states of Sparta and Athens.

Early Disaster Mitigation and Relief

One of the earliest forms of disaster protection was the granary, a storehouse used to store grain or animal feed in bulk for long periods. It was necessary to store food for the winter and planting months, so the population could grow beyond the levels sustained by foraging, hunting, and raising livestock. However, such storage also guarded against famine, mitigating the effects of crop loss by drought or flood.

The earliest granaries were developed in the Jordan Valley, around 9500 B.C.E. Early innovations included suspending the floor to put the grain out of reach of vermin, as well as to provide air circulation to reduce the risk of mold and other spoilage. In arid regions like Egypt and much of Mesopotamia, grain could be stored for an especially long period. In a biblical story, Joseph calls for Egypt to save its grain during seven years of plenty to ward against the coming seven years of famine. Such long storage would not have been feasible in a more humid climate, without a more advanced system of preserving the grain from the elements. In other parts of the world, granaries were elevated on posts (as in ancient China and Korea) or composed of furrows and pits carved into rock, forming massive granaries that could store tons of grain for several years if conditions were favorable.

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