Too many people, not enough water: Now and 2,700 years ago
Monday, November 10, 2014 - 18:30
in Earth & Climate
The Assyrian Empire once dominated the ancient Near East. At the start of the 7th century BC, it was a mighty military machine and the largest empire the Old World had yet seen. But then, before the century was out, it had collapsed. Why? An international study now offers two new factors as possible contributors to the empire's sudden demise - overpopulation and drought.