“These two periods of drying climate change correspond with the collapse of the Mayans and the Bronze Age Collapse.”
Fascinating. I wonder how many more periods of drying there have been.
There was another big period of drought around 2200-2000 BC that brought down the ancient sumerians and the old kingdom in Egypt.
Those three are the big ones. I’m sure there have been many smaller ones.
Another big volcanic event about 536 AD changed Europe.
Historical sources describing a fog covering the sun combined with reduced growth seen in tree rings suggest that erupting volcanoes caused a dramatic cooling in Europe after the year 536, coinciding with a time of general crisis and local catastrophes with estimated 25 to 50 million of victims. Some historians even argue that the cool climate accelerated the collapse of the Roman Empire, leading Europe into chaotic times, with widespread migrations of peoples within or into Europe fleeing famine, diseases and war.