Today, the Covid 19 pandemic and climate change are affecting us. A similar combination was apparently already afflicting the people and the economy of the Byzantine Empire, archaeologists report: In the layers of rubbish dumps of late antique settlements in today’s Israel, the decline of society and the economy is reflected at the time of a cold period caused by volcanism and the Justinian plague .
These are the two major issues of our time: The corona crisis has shaken humanity and demonstrated how sensitive our global economic systems are to adverse effects. In addition, we continue to deal with climate change, the effects of which threaten, among other things, global agricultural yields. Historians say it’s worth taking a look at history to assess the dangers of today’s problems. Various precedents for the effects of climatic changes and historical pandemics have already been identified in this context.
An interesting example of the impact of both factors on civilization could be the development of the Byzantine Empire at the end of antiquity, Israeli researchers now say. Byzantium had developed from the eastern part of the Roman Empire and ruled the southeastern parts of the former empire for a long time. But from the 6th century onwards, a strong decay process began. The deteriorating climatic conditions after a volcanic eruption around 536 AD are considered possible factors for the problems of the Byzantine Empire of this era. In addition, in the middle of the 6th century, the so-called Justinian plague struck the late antique world. So far, however, there is little concrete evidence of the consequences and development processes in the Byzantine Empire, the researchers say.
Searching for traces in late antique garbage
The current results come from the investigation of the remains of three settlements in the Negev desert. The relics of the city of Elusa in particular make it clear that this region was once wealthy and productive: there was a theater, churches and public baths. The basis of the prosperity was primarily the wine production, which was made possible by highly developed irrigation systems. Byzantine texts extol the region’s wine, which was exported from the port of Gaza throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. This Gaza wine has been filled with regional amphorae found throughout the Mediterranean.
How these exports and thus the entire economy developed in late antiquity was investigated by the researchers on the basis of findings in the layers of the garbage piles from three settlements in the Negev desert that can be dated in good time. Above all, they counted how often grape seeds and cereal grains as well as the fragments of wine amphorae were found in the waste structures. “With a boom in wine production, an increase in the proportion of grape seeds in relation to cereal grains is to be expected,” says the first author of the study Daniel Fuks from the Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan. “And that’s exactly what we found: We found traces of a significant increase in production between the 4th century AD and the middle of the 6th century. In the end, however, there is a rapid decline, ”says Fuks. These trends can also be seen in the remains of the wine jugs, the scientists report. Ultimately, the settlements were largely abandoned in the middle of the 6th century, as can be seen from further results.
Evidence of late antique crises
As the researchers explain, the result now represents an archaeological record of economic development around 1500 years ago, which allows conclusions to be drawn about the entire Mediterranean region. Because the commercial viticulture in the Negev was probably closely linked to the widespread developments. The scientists also see parallels with the problems of that time to today: the economic specialization brought prosperity, but also made society dependent and susceptible to “shocks” such as illnesses and climatic problems.
It is easy to imagine that the Justinian plague severely affected demand and long-distance trade at that time. Apart from that, the disease could also have led to a labor shortage in the Negev region itself and thus to loss of wine production, the researchers say. The second shock in this period was probably caused by a volcanic eruption with its global consequences. It blew airborne particles into the atmosphere of the northern hemisphere, which led to cooling for decades. It is believed that this was associated with droughts in Europe – in the Levant, however, with sudden heavy rain. The resulting flash floods could have severely affected irrigation systems and agriculture in the Negev region, the scientists say.
The probable triggers for the mid-6th century collapse, climate change and pandemic, appear to be fundamental weaknesses in political and economic systems – then as now, according to the scientists. “The difference is that the Byzantines didn’t see it coming,” Fuks says. “However, we can deal with the spread of pathogens in a planned manner and actively counteract climate change. The question is whether we are smart enough to do this, ”said the scientist.
Source: Bar Ilan University, professional article: PNAS, doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1922200117