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According to the study, a prolonged drought could have been the end of the Hittite empire.

The researchers note that a year of drought in a semi-arid environment will be manageable as subsistence farmers usually have enough provisions, but the second year will bring a crisis and “the whole system will start to fall apart.” | Fountain: AFP

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The Hittite Empire was one of the major powers of the ancient world for five centuries, but by 1200 B.C. ceased to exist. A collapse that has been attributed to several factors, but a new study points to three years of severe drought in an already dry period.

Research that publishes Nature analyzed the mound believed to have belonged to a relative of King Midas, possibly his father, to find the reason for the end of the empire. Hittiteoriginated around 1650 in semi-arid central Anatolia, a region that includes much of present-day Turkey.

hittites They were one of the major powers of the ancient world, along with the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian empires, and remained remarkably resilient amid the various upheavals—social, political, economic, and environmental—of the time, but by 1200 B.C. , the capital of Hattusa was abandoned, and the empire ceased to exist.

Severe weather may not have been the only cause of the collapse, the authors of the study, led by Cornell University (USA) and not the entire Middle East was in crisis at that time.

However, this period drought In particular, “this could be a turning point, at least for hittites- explained in the statement of the university.

Archeology
The researchers analyzed samples of tree rings recovered from the Midas Mound in Gordion, a 53-metre-high man-made structure located west of Ankara, Turkey. | Fountain: Europe Press | Photographer: JOHN MARSTON

hidden paleoclimate record

The team analyzed samples from the 53-meter-tall Midas Mound in Gordion, west of Ankara, which has a structure of juniper wood, a plant that grows slowly and lives for centuries, thus containing hidden paleoclimatic records of history. .

The researchers studied growth patterns in tree rings: unusually narrow rings likely indicate dry conditions, as well as changes in the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-13 recorded in the rings, indicating the tree’s response to moisture. .

“Stable isotopes are one of our most powerful ways to look back and ask questions about the physiological state of this plant 1000, 2000 or 3000 years ago,” explains co-author Jed Sparks of Corell University.

Wood analysis revealed a general shift towards drier conditions from the late 13th to 12th century BC, and they point to a “continuous period drought severe” around 1198-96. BC, plus or minus three years, which coincides with the chronology of the disappearance hittites.

The width of the rings indicates that “something really unusual is going on, and because they are very narrow, it means the tree is struggling to survive,” says study lead author Sturt Manning of the same university.

isotope tests

In a semi-arid environment, the only likely reason for this is the lack of water, so droughtand this has been especially serious for the third consecutive year.

“Stable isotopes extracted from tree rings support this hypothesis, and we can establish a consistent pattern despite the fact that this all happened over 3,150 years ago.”

The authors note that one year drought in semi-arid conditions this could be dealt with as subsistence farmers usually have sufficient provisions, but the second year will bring a crisis and “the whole system will start to fall apart”.

At three years old drought”hundreds of thousands of people, including a huge army Hittitethey will face hunger, even starvation. The tax base will collapse, as will the government. The survivors will be forced to migrate, which is an early example of climate change inequality,” Manning said.

(As reported by EFE)

“Espacio Vital”: Dr. Cesar Munaiko, National Director of Epidemiology, Prevention and Disease Control at the Minsa CDC, confirmed that a lion found dead at the zoo was caused by bird flu. In addition, he pointed out that eating chickens or other types of meat is safe, since infection does not occur through food consumption.

Fernando Carvallo selects information and shares his vision of national and international news. subscribe to our Las cosas newsletter, as they should be reading your daily columns.

Source: RPP

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