Ancient civilizations destroyed by climate change

The Mayan, Viking and Khmer empire civilizations all suffered the same fate of disappearing due to the effects of climate change.

Pueblo people of the Americas

According to Mother Nature Network, the Pueblo civilization, also known as "Anasazi" by the Navajo Native American people, is the most famous example of an ancient civilization that disappeared due to climate change. The remnants of this civilization are shown in stone and brick structures built along the cliffs of Mesa Verde National Park and Chaco Canyon, Colorado Plateau, USA.

Stone and brick structures at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA. Photo: Alexey Kamenskiy.

The Pueblo people mysteriously left their homeland in the 12th and 13th centuries. Scientists have found evidence of warfare, sacrifice and cannibalism, but they speculate that the main cause was climate change, which altered the habitat.

According to paleoclimatologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the decline of the villages at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon coincided with a prolonged drought in the San Juan River basin between 1130 and 1180 AD. Low rainfall and harsh living conditions led to food shortages. These pressures caused the Pueblo social structure to gradually disintegrate.

Khmer Empire

Angkor Wat, Cambodia was the capital of the Khmer Empire and the largest pre-industrial urban center in the world. The city, built in the 9th century, is famous for its wealth, architectural heritage, art, complex network of waterways, and reservoirs that store summer rainwater.

Ta Prohm temple in Angkor, Cambodia. Photo: Kushch Dmitry.

In the 15th century, Angkor Wat was abandoned due to overexploitation of ecosystems and a severe water crisis caused by a prolonged drought.

"Angkor is an example of how technology cannot always prevent the decline of a civilization, during periods of severe climate instability. Angkor possessed a very effective water storage system, but the technical advantage could not help the Khmer people prevent the collapse of the empire due to the impact of harsh environmental conditions," said Mary Beth Day, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Norwegian Vikings on Greenland

While Christopher Columbus is believed to be the first European to discover the North American continent, scientists say Norwegian Vikings discovered North America more than 500 years earlier.

Model of a Viking church on Greenland. Photo: Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH.

The first Norse Viking settlements in southern Greenland thrived for many years, before falling into decline in the 14th century. Many researchers and historians speculate that the main cause may have been climate change.

The presence of Norse Vikings on Greenland coincided with the Medieval Warm Period, which lasted from 800 to 1200 AD. During this time, Greenland had a relatively mild climate, allowing people to live and farm. As the world entered the Little Ice Age in the 14th and 15th centuries, settlements gradually disintegrated. By the mid-1500s, all settlements were abandoned and people moved to warmer lands.

According to VNE