SAN
FRANCISCO — A 200-year-long drought 4,200 years ago may have killed
off the ancient Sumerian language, one geologist says.
Because
no written accounts explicitly mention drought as the reason for the Sumerian
demise, the conclusions rely on indirect clues. But several pieces of
archaeological and geological evidence tie the gradual decline of
the Sumerian civilization to a drought.
The
findings, which were presented Monday (Dec. 3) here at the annual meeting of
the American Geophysical Union, show how vulnerable human society may be
to climate change, including human-caused change.
"This
was not a single summer or winter, this was 200 to 300 years of drought,"
said Matt Konfirst, a geologist at the Byrd Polar Research Center.
Beginning
about 3500 B.C., the Sumerian
culture flourished in ancient Mesopotamia, which was located in
present-day Iraq. Ancient Sumerians invented cuneiform writing, built the
world's first wheel and arch, and wrote the first epic poem,
"Gilgamesh." [Image
Gallery: Ancient Middle-Eastern Texts]
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