US EditionMajor droughts linked to ancient Indus Valley Civilization's collapse
Four droughts lasting over 85 years each reduced rainfall by 10-20%, causing migration, deurbanization, and agricultural shifts in the Indus Valley Civilization, researchers said.
- Successive major droughts, lasting over 85 years each, likely contributed to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization between 4,450 and 3,400 years ago.
- Climate simulations and data from cave stalagmites and lake levels showed a 10-20% decrease in rainfall and 0.5°C temperature increase in the region during this period.
- The Indus Valley settlements shifted towards the Indus River around 4,500 years ago, likely due to droughts affecting water availability, eventually leading to deurbanization by 3,418 years ago.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Scientists finally uncovered why the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed
A series of century-scale droughts may have quietly reshaped one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations. New climate reconstructions show that the Indus Valley Civilization endured repeated long dry periods that gradually pushed its people toward the Indus River as rainfall diminished. These environmental stresses coincided with shrinking cities, shifting settlements, and eventually widespread deurbanization. Rather than a dramatic collapse…
It Rivaled Ancient Egypt, Then Vanished: New Study Pinpoints Why the Indus Valley Fell
Long drought cycles reshaped settlement choices in the Indus region. These climate stresses likely contributed to its slow collapse. A series of severe droughts, each extending for more than 85 years, was likely a major contributor to the gradual decline of the Indus Valley Civilization, according to research published in Communications Earth & Environment. These [...]
Sydney Morning Herald
How an ancient civilisation survived 1000 years of climate change
The Indus River Valley in South Asia hosted one of the most advanced societies at the time, along with Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Then it mysteriously disappeared.
Harappa, one of the most advanced cities of the Indus Valley civilization, collapsed after dealing with prolonged droughts, according to a research published on Thursday, November 27 by the magazine Communications Earth & Environment.The city was located near the current Indus River, in areas that today correspond to Pakistan and northwestern India.During its peak, it showed a high level of urban planning, a complex water management system and s…
Famed Ancient Civilization May Have Been Toppled Slowly
The Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world's oldest, was a thriving society in what is now Pakistan and northwest India for some 2,000 years. Then it was gone—without signs of war or conquest. A new study in Communications Earth & Environment offers fresh insight into what may...
Why did the Indus Valley civilisation collapse? Researchers may finally have the answer
A breakthrough study claims to have solved the centuries-old mystery of why the Indus Valley civilisation fell. The findings challenge long-held theories and reveal an unexpected force that reshaped an entire ancient world.
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