IANS
Decades of drought, alternating with intense monsoon rains, may have sounded the death knell for Cambodia's ancient Khmer civilization at Angkor nearly 600 years ago.
Columbia University researchers say this based on an analysis of tree rings, archaeological remains and other evidence.
Their findings may also shed light on what drives - and disrupts - the rainy season across much of Asia, which waters crops for nearly half the world's population.
'Angkor at that time faced a number of problems - social, political and cultural. Environmental change pushed the ancient Khmers to the limit and they weren't able to adapt,' said the study's lead author, Brendan Buckley.
Buckley is a climate scientist and tree-ring specialist at Columbia Univewrsity Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. 'I wouldn't say climate caused the collapse, but a 30-year drought had to have had an impact.'
Some scientists suspect that warming of the global climate may intensify these cycles in the future, raising the possibility of alternating Angkor-like droughts and destructive floods that could affect billions.
Historians have offered various explanations for the fall of an empire that stretched across much of Southeast Asia between the 9th and 14th centuries, from deforestation to conflict with rival kingdoms.
But the new study offers the strongest evidence yet that two severe droughts, punctuated by bouts of heavy monsoon rain, may have weakened the empire by shrinking water supplies for drinking and agriculture, and damaging Angkor's vast irrigation system that was central to its economy.
The kingdom is thought to have collapsed in 1431 after a raid by the Siamese from present-day Thailand.
Scientists led by Buckley were able to reconstruct 759 years of past climate in the region surrounding Angkor by studying the annual growth rings of a cypress tree, Fokienia hodginsii, growing in the highlands of Vietnam's Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, about 700 km away.
By hiking high into the mountain cloud forests, the researchers were able to find rare specimens over 1,000 years old that had not been touched by loggers.
After extracting tiny cores of wood showing the trees' annual growth rings, researchers reconstructed year-to-year moisture levels in this part of Southeast Asia from 1250 to 2008.
The tree rings revealed evidence of a mega-drought lasting three decades-from the 1330s to 1360s-- followed by a more severe but shorter drought from the 1400s to 1420s. Written records corroborate the latter drought, which may have been felt as far away as Sri Lanka and central China.
The study also finds that the droughts were punctuated by several extraordinarily intense rainy seasons that may have damaged Angkor's hydraulic system, said a Columbia University statement.
These findings were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Columbia University researchers say this based on an analysis of tree rings, archaeological remains and other evidence.
Their findings may also shed light on what drives - and disrupts - the rainy season across much of Asia, which waters crops for nearly half the world's population.
'Angkor at that time faced a number of problems - social, political and cultural. Environmental change pushed the ancient Khmers to the limit and they weren't able to adapt,' said the study's lead author, Brendan Buckley.
Buckley is a climate scientist and tree-ring specialist at Columbia Univewrsity Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. 'I wouldn't say climate caused the collapse, but a 30-year drought had to have had an impact.'
Some scientists suspect that warming of the global climate may intensify these cycles in the future, raising the possibility of alternating Angkor-like droughts and destructive floods that could affect billions.
Historians have offered various explanations for the fall of an empire that stretched across much of Southeast Asia between the 9th and 14th centuries, from deforestation to conflict with rival kingdoms.
But the new study offers the strongest evidence yet that two severe droughts, punctuated by bouts of heavy monsoon rain, may have weakened the empire by shrinking water supplies for drinking and agriculture, and damaging Angkor's vast irrigation system that was central to its economy.
The kingdom is thought to have collapsed in 1431 after a raid by the Siamese from present-day Thailand.
Scientists led by Buckley were able to reconstruct 759 years of past climate in the region surrounding Angkor by studying the annual growth rings of a cypress tree, Fokienia hodginsii, growing in the highlands of Vietnam's Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, about 700 km away.
By hiking high into the mountain cloud forests, the researchers were able to find rare specimens over 1,000 years old that had not been touched by loggers.
After extracting tiny cores of wood showing the trees' annual growth rings, researchers reconstructed year-to-year moisture levels in this part of Southeast Asia from 1250 to 2008.
The tree rings revealed evidence of a mega-drought lasting three decades-from the 1330s to 1360s-- followed by a more severe but shorter drought from the 1400s to 1420s. Written records corroborate the latter drought, which may have been felt as far away as Sri Lanka and central China.
The study also finds that the droughts were punctuated by several extraordinarily intense rainy seasons that may have damaged Angkor's hydraulic system, said a Columbia University statement.
These findings were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
5 comments:
i think it requires further research or study. i think it's the combination of all of the above, i.e. war, death of the capable rulers from old age, internal power struggle,cultural and traditional shift, trade shift, weather phenomenon, shift in religious beliefs, time shift, shift in education, shift in outside world contact, etc, etc... one has to look into all of the above! however, no one can deny the greatness of the khmer angkor civilization, though. shift in many way have changed many of the world's great civilization on our planet, not unique to ancient cambodia, really!
I think he is right about the climate change and droughts that hit Angkor and eventually brought down the kingdom and led to starvation, disease, distrust the king because he was revered a god, and eventually the Thai saw this and took advantage! It's stupid to just believe in texts from ancient writings that the Thai's came and destroyed Angkor without any explanation what went wrong before the attack! Of course the Siamese are going to want to make themselves look good by writing what happen!
The Ankor Wat, and other Prasats will crumble soon....now that, the acid rain is going to pour on them. One way, to protect them is by spraying organic prime coat which can deter them from acid rain and harsh Cambodian weather.
Dear compatriots,
what we know on the cause of the collapse of Angkor Empire (Khmer Empire)is completely different from the Columbia University researchers' study/statement. Subsequently, whoever want to know the fact of matter - they should seeking knowledge of the fact from old khmer citizens in some area in this country (Cambodia) then they will get the reality rather than just jumping into conclusion based on scientific study on the past blinded 800 years (13th - 21st century). Anyway, if they have no willing to ask becos they are great scientists, it is no problem, becos they and the world will get to know that automatically in short coming days.
Goodwill,
Att
sounds right! maybe khmer people lost trust with thei kings as he was expect to be god-king, thus brings rain, good fortune, etc, to the empire, then. however, because people then failed to understand the climate change, etc, they only blamed the king, thus discontinue to trust and believe in the king's power, etc... it makes a good speculation, i think.
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