Are you afraid of global warming? Climatologists have long warned us that in the future the Earth will become so hot that glaciers in cold regions of the planet will melt. Because of this, the water level in the world's oceans will rise, and coastal cities will be flooded. Also, the heat will have a negative impact on the health of people and animals, as a result of which many living creatures on Earth will die out. And we are also scared that in hot weather dangerous diseases will spread faster, which threatens new epidemics. In general, our future does not look very bright. In fact, climate change on Earth occurs regularly, humanity is faced with this problem not for the first time. Changes in nature have already caused the disappearance of entire civilizations, we will not be the first.
Scientists have good reason to believe that the Mayan civilization died out due to drought
The authors of Mental Floss spoke about five civilizations that have become victims of climate change. Previously, it was believed that many peoples disappeared due to bloody wars. But recent discoveries in the field of archeology hint that they were wiped out from the face of the Earth by nature itself.
Contents
- 1 Collapse Khmer Empire
- 2 Disappearance of the Mississippian culture
- 3 Cause of the disappearance of the Mayans
- 4 Disappearance of the Indus civilization
- 5 Death of the Akkadian Empire
Collapse of the Khmer Empire
One of the main attractions of the Asian state of Cambodia is the temple complex of Angkor Wat. It was built in the early 12th century AD in honor of the god Vishnu, and today it is visited by more than 2 million tourists a year. This place served as the religious center of the Khmer Empire (Kambujadesh), which existed from the 9th to the 13th century on the territories of modern Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos.
Temple complex of Angkor Wat. Photo source: thailand-good.ru
Scientists are sure that the reason for the collapse of the Khmer Empire was the attack of the neighboring state of Ayutthaya, on the site of which Thailand now stands. This is true – the capital of the ancient Khmers (Angkor) was plundered in 1431.
The society of Kambujadesh was bilingual: the authorities spoke Sanskrit, and the common people spoke Khmer. Photo source: livingnomads.com
But scientists believe that if it weren't for climate change, the Khmer Empire might have held out. The empire's capital relied heavily on a network of reservoirs because it was the only source of water for millions of people. But in the 1300s, global temperatures began to drop, triggering a “little ice age” that led to drought.
Architecture of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Photo source: wikimedia.org
Water shortages and poor crop yields led to social problems, and the capital of the Khmer Empire became an easy target for invasion. So the main reason for its collapse can be called climate change, and the attack of enemies was just a nail in the coffin.
The Disappearance of the Mississippian Culture
From about 800 to 1500 AD, the Mississippian Indians lived in the Mississippi River Valley in the United States. They are known for building huge earthen mounds – a group of 109 majestic mounds is now known as Cahokia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They also grew corn and made extensive use of the trading networks that existed at the time.
The houses of representatives of the Mississippian culture looked something like this. Image source: wikipedia.org
But this civilization also disappeared, and as a result of the same Little Ice Age. As a result of climate change, corn yields fell sharply, which led to famine. In addition to this, over time, the Mississippi River overflowed its banks and flooded the cities. When Europeans arrived on the American continent, only ruins remained of the Mississippian culture.
The Reason for the Disappearance of the Maya
Scientists have been trying for many years to understand what caused the collapse of the Mayan civilization. This people, who lived in 60 city-states on the territory of today's Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, is known for their pyramids, calendar and other artifacts.
The Mayan civilization looked something like this. Image source: wikipedia.org
There are many explanations for the disappearance of the ancient civilization. But the most plausible one says that the people disappeared because of drought. In Belize, there is a cave called Yok Balum, inside of which there are many stalagmites – cone-shaped formations rising from the bottom of the caves. They need water dripping from above to grow, and the more there is, the faster they grow.
Stalagmites indicate that the Mayans disappeared due to drought. Photo source: sciencenews.org
Scientists have found that stalagmites grew during the Mayan period of prosperity. And closer to its collapse, they stopped growing – this means that during this period the people faced drought. This could have led to wars, abandonment of cities and other processes that led to the disappearance of the great ancient civilization.
Read also: Scientists have found the cause of the death of the Mayan civilization – it sounds like a warning
The disappearance of the Indus civilization
In the territories of modern Pakistan and India, in the Indus River valley, people settled around 3300 BC. They founded the Indus civilization, which very quickly fell into decline.
All that remains of the Indus civilization. Image source: dzen.ru
They lived by taking advantage of the river floods. But then the monsoon rains stopped penetrating deep into the continent, and people were left without access to water. The people could do nothing but leave their cities in search of more suitable places to live.
The fact that this region was too dry for human habitation was once again hinted at by the stalagmites in the caves.
Read also: The US faces a drought that could last until 2030
The Fall of the Akkadian Empire
Between 2300 and 2150 BC, the Akkadian Empire lived in what is now Iraq. The climate change that caused the disappearance of the Indus Civilization also greatly harmed this people.
Ancient civilizations disappeared not only because of droughts, but also because of sandstorms. Photo source: cyclowiki.org
Due to climate change, powerful sandstorms often hit their places of residence. It became impossible to live there, so people moved to other regions. Judging by the remaining clay tablets, they went south.
Representatives of the Akkadian Empire had their own explanation for what happened. They were sure that the gods were angry with their ruler and sent all these horrors to the people.
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Finally, we suggest you read our article “What Ancient Civilizations Thought About Solar Eclipses — The Most Interesting Options.” We are sure you will learn a lot of interesting things!