Climate change caused empire's fall

[Still Waters]

A handful of tree ring samples stored in an old cigar box have shed unexpected light on the ancient world, thanks to research by archaeologist Sturt Manning and collaborators at Cornell, Arizona, Chicago, Oxford and Vienna, forthcoming in the June issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The samples were taken from an Egyptian coffin; Manning also examined wood from funeral boats buried near the pyramid of Sesostris III.

http://www.news.corn...ee-rings-reveal

[Kenemet]

If I'm reading this right, then it supports Breasted's chronology? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_chronology

[jesspy]

Seems interesting. What happened once will happen again.

[Frank Merton]

Whatever happened, we know from this and many other events that worldwide or near-worldwide crop failures do happen. Why are so few nations stockpiling a year or so of food?

[Peter B]

Whatever happened, we know from this and many other events that worldwide or near-worldwide crop failures do happen. Why are so few nations stockpiling a year or so of food?

Because it would be impossible to grow that much food.

Because it would be impossible to store that much food.

Because it would be impossible to preserve that much food.

[Frank Merton]

Naw not at all. Of course some things would not be available, such as fresh foods and so on, but it could be done and was being done for awhile. Lots of people do it for themselves too.

The "climate change" of the article was misleading; it was only a crop failure. Things then returned to normal. Real climate change does different things in different parts of the world but a good volcanic explosion and similar things can cause crop failures worldwide.

[Parsec]

Whatever happened, we know from this and many other events that worldwide or near-worldwide crop failures do happen. Why are so few nations stockpiling a year or so of food?

Being Ukraine the second biggest cereals exporter in the world, maybe somebody is already thinking about it

[+DieChecker]

If I'm reading this right, then it supports Breasted's chronology? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_chronology

Wouldn't that make the Great Pyramids a Giza like 300 years older then currently is published?

Being Ukraine the second biggest cereals exporter in the world, maybe somebody is already thinking about it

Putin.... Evil Genius??

[Parsec]

Putin.... Evil Genius??

Or Obama.

Or Van Rompuy (ahahah, no, honestly, it doesn't work even as a joke)

[cladking]

Whatever happened, we know from this and many other events that worldwide or near-worldwide crop failures do happen. Why are so few nations stockpiling a year or so of food?

Up until very recent times the US had large stockpiles of food. This began changing in the

late-'70's when Earl Butz put us on a corn diet and then the excess was diverted to make al-

cohol at a cost greater than the value of the alcohol produced. The government has done

other things to discourage supplies as well such as taxing warehouse contents.

Up until the mid-'90's there wasn't much seasonal difference in grocery pricing and each year

since the summer months have gotten higher and higher for everything as the old harvests

are used up. The country has become highly dependent on having good weather in Iowa

where a large percentage of out food is grown. Iowa had a drought two years ago but it was

relatively minor and merely pushed up corn prices.

I'd wager the ancients actually stored more food than we do today. Storage methods were

primitive and inefficient but were necessary to protect the seed crop. Starving people will

eat anything. Total crop failure would have destroyed them but total crop failures are rare

to non-existent even in local areas and generally result from planting a single crop.

[+DieChecker]

Or Obama.

Obama.... Evil Genius

Hummm.... Just doesn't have the same ring to it as Putin....

[Frank Merton]

I take it when one says Ukraine is the biggest cereal producer one is not including rice.

[Frank Merton]

This is the sort of short-sightedness that leads to the downfall of nations -- failure to provide for defense and failure to save for the future. Saving does not involve increasing Federal Reserve assets -- money cannot be eaten. It means having stockpiles of strategic materials and of food long enough to last for several (I'm tempted to say seven) years of crop disaster.

As thing are a major volcano causing a single season's crop failure and there would be rioting in Manhattan -- not just Manhattan but also Peoria.