A new pollen study revealed that drought was responsible for the extinction of civilizations more than 3,000 years ago during the Bronze Age.
The reason behind why the thriving civilizations in and around modern-day Israel suddenly collapsed more than 3,000 years ago has remained a mystery up until now. A new pollen study by Tel Aviv University researchers finally solved this Bronze Age mystery.
Prof. Israel Finkelstein from the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University revealed that owing to drastic climate changes, the entire world of the Bronze Age "crumbled" in a short period of time. The discovery was made on the basis of a high-resolution analysis of pollen grains taken from sediments beneath the Sea of Galilee and the western shore of the Dead Sea. The researchers identified the period of the crisis between 1250 and 1100 BC.
Prof. Finkelstein received a grant from the European Research Council to conduct research aimed at reconstructing ancient Israel. The project included studies on ancient DNA and molecular archaeology. Researchers of the part of the project that dealt with climate change extracted about 60 feet of samples of gray muddy sediment from the center of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. They had to drill through 1,000 feet of water and into 65 feet of the lake bed and were able to recover evidence dating over the past nine millennia.
"Pollen is the most enduring organic material in nature," explained Dr. Dafna Langgut, a pollen researcher who carried out the actual work of sampling. "These particles tell us about the vegetation that grew in the vicinity of the lake in the past and therefore testify to the climatic conditions in the region."
Researchers noted a sharp decline in Mediterranean trees like oaks, pines, and carobs in the Late Bronze Age. They also observed a similar decline in the local cultivation of olive trees. According to study experts, this could because of repeated periods of drought. The droughts may have resulted in long famines, forcing people to migrate from north to south.
Other pollen grains studies revealed that the drought crisis was regional and was followed by a long wet spell. This gave rise to resettlements, leading to the kingdoms of biblical times, including ancient Israel and Judah.
Biblical stories like Joseph's interpretation of the pharaoh's dream about seven fat cows being eaten by seven gaunt cows, signifying a period of abundance followed by famine, "reflect the idea that climate is not stable," said Prof. Finkelstein
"The authors of the Bible knew very well the value of precipitation and the calamity that may be inflicted on people by drought," he concluded in a New York Times report.
