Climate change may have had a huge impact on ancient South American civilisations

[Judi Lynn]

Climate change may have had a huge impact on ancient South American civilisations


Climate change may have brought huge disruption to ancient South American societies before Europeans arrived in 1492, University of Exeter academics have discovered.

The European colonisation of the continent by Europeans had a devastating impact on local communities. It brought warfare, disease epidemics and mass migration, and caused the demise of 95 per cent of Native Americans.

New interdisciplinary research led by the University of Exeter shows alternations to the climate also brought about widespread changes to how people lived during this period. Recent advances in archaeology, paleoecology and climate science show major ecological and climate change also took place in the centuries before the conquest. This contradicts previous assumptions about how ancient societies in this region operated until they had contact with Europeans.

These preliminary findings will be discussed by scientists at a conference in Cornwall this week. International experts in archaeology, ethnohistory, paleoecology and paleoclimatology will be sharing their data and will work to piece together what happened in South America in the years before 1492.

Increases in the amount of rain may have caused changes to land use and wildfires. Research has shown the Llanos de Moxos savannas in Bolivia were seasonally flooded in about AD 1400. The construction of geoglyphs in Acre in Brazil ended around AD 1400, which suggests people didn’t live there after this time. A similar trend is seen in Central Brazil, where the spread of ‘circular villages’ stops during the same period.

More:
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_493773_en.html

Anthropology:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12292532

[Bayard]

1. Very Interesting

I'd like to hear more about what they discover on this. Thanks Judi!

[Judi Lynn]

2. Same here, Bayard. So much is happening so quickly in recent time due to superior technology.

So much important work is going on all over the globe, pointing to so many amazing new breakthroughs.

We really NEED to see some big ones immediately!

Thanks for your comment. Welcome to D.U.