Lost empire that ruled Mesopotamia for 200 years ‘was wiped out by cataclysmic dust storms that caused drought and famine’
- The Akkadian Empire had ruled across Mesopotamia from 24-22 Century BC
- However, the empire’s settlements were abandoned around 4,200 years ago
- Researchers analysed corals to reconstruct the climate at the time of the demise
- Instead of the usual winter rains, a long and windy dry spell damaged crops
A lost empire that ruled Mesopotamia for 200 years was wiped out by a cataclysmic series of winter dust storms that caused drought and famine, a study has found.
The empire’s demise was aided by a prolonged, cold winter, researchers found by reconstructing the past climate using coral records.
The first united domain in Mesopotamia, the Akkadian Empire thrived with the development of irrigation and lasted from the 24th to the 22nd century BC.
However, archaeologists have found that the empire appeared to vanish around 4,200 years ago — leaving the surrounding region abandoned for around 300 years.
Past studies had suggested that the empire likely collapsed as a product of drought, agricultural failure and civil unrest — but the exact cause of this had been uncertain.
A lost empire that ruled Mesopotamia for 200 years was wiped out by a cataclysmic series of dust storms that caused drought and famine, a study of fossil corals, pictured, has found
The first united domain in Mesopotamia, the Akkadian Empire thrived with the development of irrigation and lasted from the 24th to the 22nd century BC. Pictured, an artist’s impression of Akkadian Empire founder Sargon the Great leading his army across Northern Syria
Geologist Tsuyoshi Watanabe of Japan’s Hokkaido University and colleagues reconstructed what the climate would have been like at Tell Leilan — an archaeological site in northeast Syria that was at the heart of the Akkadian Empire.
To do this, they analysed the composition of six stony corals — of the genus Porites — from the Gulf of Oman, downwind of Tell Leilan, dating back to 4,100 years ago.
Findings from the fossil corals, whose ages were established using radiocarbon dating, were then compared with modern coral and weather data.
The team found that, around the time of the empire’s collapse, the region did not receive it usual dose of rainfall during the winter season.
Instead, Tell Leilan and its surroundings were subjected at this time to intense and sudden dry spells — contrasting to the relatively normal conditions before and after.
The prolonged dry and windy season would have seen frequent dust storms — which are known locally as shamals.
In the present day, shamals can last as long as 3–5 days, with wind speeds reaching up to 43 miles per hour (70 kilometres per hour).
The onslaught of these dust storms — coupled with the lack of rainfall — would have severely impacted agricultural crops, the researchers argue.
This would have led to famine and social instability — both of which are factors that archaeologists have previously associated with the collapse of the Akkadian empire.
The empire’s demise was aided by a prolonged, cold winter, researchers found by reconstructing the past climate using coral records. Pictured, a member of the research team examines a fossil coral near the archaeological site of Tell Leilan
Geologist Tsuyoshi Watanabe of Japan’s Hokkaido University and colleagues reconstructed what the climate would have been like at Tell Leilan — an archaeological site in northeast Syria that was at the heart of the Akkadian Empire
The Akkadian empire appeared to vanish around 4,200 years ago — leaving the surrounding region abandoned for around 300 years. Pictured, a stone head from the Akkadian Empire, seen here on display at the National Museum in Baghdad
‘The official mark of the collapse of the Akkadian Empire is the invasion of Mesopotamia by other populations,’ began Dr Watanabe.
However, he added, ‘Our fossil samples are windows in time showing that variations in climate significantly contributed to the empire’s decline.’
‘Further interdisciplinary research will help improve our understanding of connections between climate changes and human societies in the past,’ added Dr Watanabe.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Geology.
THE AKKADIAN EMPIRE
Akkadia was the world’s first empire.
It was established in Mesopotamia around 4,300 years ago after its ruler, Sargon of Akkad, united a series of independent city states.
Akkadian influence spanned along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from what is now southern Iraq, through to Syria and Turkey.
The Akkad empire during the reign of Narâm-Sîn (2254-2218 BC)
The north-south extent of the empire meant that it covered regions with different climates, ranging from fertile lands in the north which were highly dependent on rainfall (one of Asia’s ‘bread baskets’), to the irrigation-fed alluvial plains to the south.
