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Signs of ancient climate crisis as the Hittite empire unravelled

An assessment of juniper tree-ring samples from central Turkey, together with other types of dating analysis, demonstrate that a devastating drought in 1198–1196 bc contributed to the end of the Hittite empire.
  1. Müge Durusu-Tanrıöver

    1. Müge Durusu-Tanrıöver is in the Department of Art History, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA.

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In around 1300 bc, the eastern Mediterranean region was dominated by the strong empires and kingdoms of the Hittites, Assyrians, Egyptians and Mycenaeans, whose written records give the impression of a thriving and interconnected world. Fast forward, and the same states were in serious trouble by 1170 bc. Writing in Nature, Manning et al.1 present evidence that a severe drought occurred in central Turkey during this period, and suggest that a climate crisis was a key player in the Hittite empire’s demise.

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Nature 614, 625-626 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00271-2

References

  1. Manning, S. W., Kocik, C., Lorentzen, B. & Sparks, J. P. Nature 614, 719–724 (2023).

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  2. Cline, E. H. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Princeton Univ. Press, 2021).

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  3. de Martino, S. in The End of Empires (eds Gehler, M., Rollinger, R. & Strobl, P.) 82 (Springer, 2022).

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  4. Schachner, A. in Handbook Hittite Empire: Power Structures (ed. de Martino, S.) 167 (De Gruyter, 2022).

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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