Description: |
This study compares a precisely dated subannual climate record for the past 2000 years from Yok Balum Cave, Belize with historical events compiled from well-dated stone monuments of classic Maya civilization. Anomalously high rainfall favored unprecedented population expansion and the proliferation of political centers between 440 and 660 C.E. This was followed by a drying trend between 660 and 1000 C.E. that triggered increased warfare followed by population collapse in the context of an extended drought. [Source: Science / AAAS]
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