The final decades of the Assyrian Empire (912-609 BCE) were marked by political instability and conflict, but new research suggests droughts and bad harvests played a part in the empire's decline.
The Assyrian Empire was once one of the largest and most powerful empires of the ancient world—and now scientists believe that climate change played a part in its demise.
"[The Assyrian Empire] was by far the largest empire in the region up to that time, controlling much of the territory from the Persian Gulf to Cyprus," co-author Adam Schneider said inThe Zayandeh Rud river in Isfahan in Iran, once the center of the Assyrian Empire. Researchers now think climate change contributed to the ancient empire's downfall.
The results suggest droughts that hit the Assyrian Empire started earlier than previously thought and followed the wettest period on record for the region. This is significant because, according to Schneider, the Assyrians were particularly vulnerable to the changing climate due to the geography of northern Iraq.
The researchers' emphasis on climate differs from previous research that has stressed the contribution of"internal politico-economic conflicts, territorial overextension, and military defeat," the study's authors write. But it adds to a body of research that shows how changes to the climate can change the course of history.
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