During the Postclassic Mayan Period, between approximately 800 and 1000 A.D., the center of Mayan urban development shifted to the northern Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Here a series of notable cities such as Uxmal, located in the Puuc Hills near modern-day Mérida, arose. The Yucatán cities of the Postclassic period had large central cores containingContinue reading “The Postclassic Period and the Mayan-Toltec Cities of the Yucatán”
Category Archives: Climate Change and Society
Triumph and Tragedy During the Mayan Classic Period
Driving northeast from the city of Flores in Guatemala it is hard to believe that dense and seemingly uninhabited rainforest once supported a largely agricultural landscape and innumerable human habitations. It is harder yet to imagine that some 1200 years ago the ruins of Tikal, empty and isolated today in the midst of a deepContinue reading “Triumph and Tragedy During the Mayan Classic Period”
Egypt and the Nile 5 – Climate Change and an Uncertain Future
With drought in Ethiopia and East Africa comes famine in Egypt. Rainfall is sparse and cannot replace the water of river. The failure of the Nile can have profound impacts on a land with so many people dependent on one source of water. The Old Kingdom of Egypt ended at around 2200 BC – aContinue reading “Egypt and the Nile 5 – Climate Change and an Uncertain Future”
Egypt and the Nile 4 – Control of the Nile
Egypt has always been at the mercy of the Nile. If the headwaters to the south in Ethiopia and East Africa experience drought than the floods which irrigate and replenish the soils fail and famine was the result. Since dynastic times temples along the river had gauges called Nilometers that allowed the priests to accuratelyContinue reading “Egypt and the Nile 4 – Control of the Nile”
Egypt and the Nile – 3 Life of the Common Person Then and Now
Egypt is one of the great early civilizations of the world. Owing to its arid climate and the use of stone to build its massive burial pyramids, monumental statues, obelisks and temples it is also the best preserved of the early bronze age cultures in terms of its remaining buildings. At the time of ChristContinue reading “Egypt and the Nile – 3 Life of the Common Person Then and Now”
Egypt and the Nile 2 – Climate Change and Early Agriculture in Egypt
Surprisingly, agriculture came late to Egypt compared to Syria and Iraq which lay to the east. By 10,600 to 10,000 years ago (8600 to 8000 BC) agriculture had taken firm root in ancient Mesopotamia and adjacent regions in Near and Middle East. According to archaeologists from UCLA and the University of Groningen in the NetherlandsContinue reading “Egypt and the Nile 2 – Climate Change and Early Agriculture in Egypt”
Egypt and the Nile – Then and Now Part 1
The country of Egypt is known throughout the world for its incredible history, richness of ancient monuments and stunning archaeological finds. It is also home to about 82 million people. One third of the active labor force remains employed in agriculture. Main crops today include grains, cotton, sugar cane and various fruits. However, it wouldContinue reading “Egypt and the Nile – Then and Now Part 1”
Beyond Chaco Canyon
The build-up of Chaco Canyon extended over many centuries and seemed to reach a peak around 1000 years ago. Then, decline set in and by AD 1300 the great pueblos and the entire canyon itself was abandoned by its creators and inhabitants. Much speculation has been made on the causes of the Chaco abandonment. FactorsContinue reading “Beyond Chaco Canyon”
Who Were the Ancient Pueblo Peoples of the Southwest
When Europeans first began to explore the American Southwest they found both native North American agricultural people and hunters and gathers. However, they also encountered in various desolate or uninhabited portions of the region the huge ruins of stone and adobe structures. Many such ruins contain round ceremonial chambers called kivas. In some cases theContinue reading “Who Were the Ancient Pueblo Peoples of the Southwest”
The Fremont Indians – Prehistoric Retreat of Agriculture in the American West
Scattered among the canyons, mesas and lake shorelines of northern Utah and adjacent areas of Colorado, Nevada and southern Idaho can be found evidence of an ancient agricultural people who inhabited and farmed the region for centuries before the arrival of Europeans – and then mysteriously disappeared. These native farmers, who raised crops such asContinue reading “The Fremont Indians – Prehistoric Retreat of Agriculture in the American West”
Glen Sproul dit MacDonald 