Ringed Past
Roman history in tree
The study offers a link between changes to the climate and the rise and fall of human societies
An extensive study of tree growth rings says there could be a link between the rise and fall of past civilisations and sudden shifts in Europe's climate. A team of researchers based their findings on data from 9,000 wooden artifacts from the past 2,500 years. They found that periods of warm, wet summers coincided with prosperity, while political turmoil occurred during times of climate instability. "Looking back on 2,500 years, there are examples where climate change impacted human history," co-author Ulf Buntgen, a paleoclimatologist at the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape, told the Science website. The team capitalised on a system used to date material unearthed during excavations. Distinct drying in the 3rd Century paralleled a period of serious crisis in the western Roman empire" "Archaeologists have developed oak ring width chronologies from Central Europe that cover nearly the entire Holocene and have used them for the purpose of dating artefacts, historical buildings, antique artwork and furniture," they wrote. "Chronologies of living and relict oaks may reflect distinct patterns of summer precipitation and drought." The team looked at how weather over the past couple of centuries affected living trees' growth rings.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments