A daring new study claims that the unraveling and creation of ancient Chinese dynasties has more to do with climate changes than political or social defects. The theory that weather disasters like floods and drought triggered shifts of power between dynasties are not new, however, until recently, no one had closely examined the intertwined relationship of changes in climate and Chinese society. Scientists led by Zhibin Zhang compared climate patterns of ancient times with the history of Chinese dynasties. They discovered that the collapse of agricultural reliant dynasties such as the Han, the Tang, both the Northern and Southern Song, and the Ming are closely linked to low temperatures. They also found that prosperous and stable periods occurred during warm spells.
Melanie Mabry Period 3
1 comment:
I thought this post really reinforced what we leanred in class - that natural disasters, and not only political problem were the cause of failing dynasties.I thought it was interesting that scientists have found even more ties between changing weather patterns and floods to connect with the creation and destruction of dynasties.
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