Climate Change Helped Destroy these Four Ancient Civilisations

The term civilization refers to the stage of development at which people may peacefully coexist in communities. The term “ancient civilization” refers to the first settled and stable settlements that served as the foundation for succeeding states, nations, and empires.

The study of ancient civilisation focuses on the earliest phases of the considerably larger subject of ancient history. Ancient history began around 3100 BC with the advent of writing and lasted for more than 35 centuries. Humankind existed long before the written word, but writing enabled historians to keep track of events.

Ancient societies formed in Mesopotamia and Egypt in the Middle East, the Indus valley region of what is now Pakistan and India, the Huang He (Yellow River) valley of China, the Aegean Sea Island of Crete, and Central America. Certain characteristics were shared by all of these civilizations. They created towns and invented new writing systems. They learnt how to handle metals and produce pottery. They tamed animals and established intricate social structures with class divisions.

MESOPOTAMIA

Mesopotamia (from a Greek term meaning “between rivers”) is a region in Iraq that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Small bands of farmers had made their way to the river valleys by around 5000 BC. Wheat, barley, and peas were grown in the floodplains. They cut through the riverbanks to allow water to flow to lower lying soil for their crops.

The Sumerians in Mesopotamia further refined these early irrigation systems. They dug canals, dikes, and ditches to drain wetlands. Government and law grew out of the need for cooperation on these enormous irrigation projects. As a result, the Sumerians are credited with establishing the first of the ancient civilizations.

Sumer was the Sumerian name for their homeland (Shinar in the Bible). Their history is shrouded in mystery. They were not Semites, as were the majority of the inhabitants in the area. The Sumerians spoke a tongue that was distinct from any other known tongue. They may have arrived from Persia in southern Mesopotamia before 4000 BC.

Indus valley civilisation

The Indus River Valley is regarded as the origin of Indian civilization. The Indus valley civilization was found by archaeologists in 1924 on the Indian subcontinent, mostly in what is now Pakistan. Legend has shrouded the region’s old history. However, by 4000 BCE, it appears that primitive farmers were growing vegetables, cereals, and animals along the riverbed. By 2700 BC, two great cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, had emerged, along with countless minor towns.

There is evidence that Mesopotamian traders sailed from Sumer to the early inhabitants of the Indus valley. The people of the Indus Valley shared some developments with the Sumerians, such as intricate irrigation and drainage systems and the art of writing. However, the people of the Indus Valley evolved their own distinct cultural style.

According to what little is known about the Indus civilization, it possessed huge towns that were well-planned and walled. Public structures, palaces, baths, and enormous granaries to store agricultural produce were all there. Archaeologists discovered several artefacts and artworks, indicating that the Indus people had reached a pretty high level of civilisation before their civilization was destroyed.

Climatic changes that destroyed these ancient civilisations

The Earth’s climate is commonly acknowledged to be in a near-constant state of flux. Over the last 650,000 years, there have been seven ice age cycles, with glaciers expanding and contracting. The last big ice age ended about 11,000 years ago, ushering in the Holocene, our current climate era. Although there was a Little Ice Age between 1200 and 1850 CE, the climate has remained relatively steady since then.

But climate change is about more than the spread of glaciers, and the effects of locally altering climate conditions have ruined many once-mighty civilizations.

Mesoamerica’s Mayan civilization existed for over 3,000 years. The Yucatan Peninsula, modern-day Guatemala, Belize, sections of Mexico, and western Honduras and El Salvador were all part of their empire. Mayan civilisation was founded on agriculture, with huge cities being erected as the population grew. Mayan life was dominated by religion, and sacrifices, including human sacrifices, were a common occurrence, designed to placate and nourish the gods and keep the land fertile.

However, things started to go bad for the Mayans around 900 CE. Overcrowding put an undue pressure on resources. Increased resource rivalry brought the Maya into deadly conflict with neighbouring nations. Drought struck for an extended period, destroying crops and shutting off drinking water supplies.

They weren’t the only ancient people whose lives were ruined by climate change.

The Akkadian kingdom ruled over Mesopotamia more than 4,000 years ago, in what is now Iraq, north-east Syria, and south-east Turkey. Until a 300-year drought turned everything they had planned to dust. Around 2,200 BCE, it was part of a cycle of shifting climate conditions in the Middle East that was continually upsetting life and upending rising civilizations.

Conclusion

Agriculture has long relied on a reliable water supply all throughout the world. This meant rivers and streams or consistent rains for the early communities. Along rivers, the earliest major civilizations arose. Taking advantage of the rainy seasons allowed later towns to grow.

Despite regional and environmental variances, all ancient civilizations developed in a similar fashion. The acquisition of more numerous and substantial items became possible as villages grew. Animal-skin gourds were replaced as food and beverage containers by heavier ceramics. Wool and flax might be used to weave cloth. It is possible to construct permanent structures out of wood, brick, and stone.