"People in Shang Dynasty China, around 3,000 years ago, probably didn't realize that the massive floods sweeping through their heartland were the product of typhoons battering the southern Chinese coast hundreds of kilometers away. They certainly couldn't have seen that the sheer intensity of those typhoons was fueled by a sudden shift in temperature cycles over the Pacific Ocean thousands of kilometers to the south and east."
"Archaeological sites across central China reveal that at various points between 4,000 and 2,500 years ago, disasters rocked these thriving societies, decimating the population, forcing settlements to relocate, and causing major cultural shifts and political upheaval."
A study by Nanjing University meteorologist Ke Ding connects three distinct evidence sources—oracle bones, modern weather models, and archaeological records—to demonstrate that Pacific Ocean temperature shifts triggered typhoons responsible for massive floods in ancient China around 3,000 years ago. These floods devastated the Shang Dynasty in the Yellow River Valley and the Sanxingdui culture on the Chengdu Plain, forcing population relocations and cultural upheaval. Archaeological evidence shows civilizations experienced major disruptions between 4,000 and 2,500 years ago, with settlements abandoned and populations decimated. The research reveals how climate-driven weather patterns influenced ancient civilizations and provides insights into preparing for modern climate change impacts.
#ancient-chinese-civilization #climate-change-and-typhoons #archaeological-evidence #pacific-ocean-temperature-cycles #natural-disasters-and-settlement-collapse
Read at Ars Technica
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