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The current crisis in Syria parallels events that preceded the fall of the Akkadian empire in Mesopotamia more than 4,000 years ago, according to research published recently in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
The Akkadian empire flourished in the third millennium BC. Sometime around 2,200 BC drought hit, the lands dried and people migrated from urban centers. The government then collapsed, and the mighty empire began to falter in a series of calamities collectively referred to as the third-millennium Mesopotamian urban crisis.
Until now, our understanding of the Mesopotamian urban crisis had been based on archaeological studies of ceramic artifacts and changes in the size of archaeological sites along with what we know about farming practices popular at the time.
But archaeologist Ellery Frahm of the University of Sheffield in the UK and his colleagues used geochemical techniques and rock magnetic analyses to examine trade and the social networks associated with it instead.
The researchers used electron microscopy and chemical analyses to examine 97 obsidian tools excavated earlier from a site called Tell Mozan, dating from the early Akkadian empire to several centuries after its demise. Located in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in northeastern Syria, the site was known as Urkesh in antiquity, and was densely populated at the height of the Akkadian empire.
The tools dating to before 2,200 BC were made of obsidian rock originally quarried from six sites in Eastern Anatolian. This variety suggests that Urkesh was a cosmopolitan city with complex, long distance exchange networks that linked it with civilizations in the Aegean and middle Euphrates.
The tools dated to after 2,200BC, however, came from only two local sources, suggesting that the late third millennium collapse disrupted these trade links.
"Urkesh might have specialized its economy in response to demand for certain commodities, such as metals from the nearby mountains," says Frahm. "With climate shifts and the end of the empire, the inhabitants might have had to refocus their economy on local production and consumption, covering their own needs rather than engaging in specialized long-distance trade."
Some parallels can be drawn to the situation in Syria today. "Some archaeologists contend that the Akkadian Empire was brought down by militarism and that violence ended its central economic role in the region, and a governmental collapse is a real possibility in Syria after nearly two years of fighting," Frahm adds.
Furthermore, contemporary farming in northeastern Syria relies heavily on rainfall, just as farmers did in the Akkadian empire, and climate change is already taking its toll with several severe droughts.
"Those of us who study people and the past are in a unique position to consider what could happen after the immediate crisis ends," says Frahm. "What happens to cities when a state falls? How do the residents sustain themselves if that infrastructure collapses? This is the type of contribution that archaeology can make towards improving the future."
This article is reproduced with permission from Nature Middle East. The article was first published on February 18, 2013.
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Add CommentWhether or not militarism contributed ancient government instability or not, that seems to have little to do with any current instability. What is likely more relevant is the potential for crop failures in conditions of drought, and its critical effects on government and social instability. I have to guess that the regional population densities are far greater now, making the potential effects of drought now even more devastating...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy just Syria? What about the U.S? Or even the entire globalized community, AKA "the West"?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are numerous examples of fallen civilizations that have gone under as a result of ineffective government (composed of elites fighting elites), a failing economy and localized climate change. The Old Kingdom Egyptians, the Vedics, the Mayans, French monarchy and the Russian czars are but a few.
And now, we have global climate change (not localized, and coming in fast, too), a failing global economy, ineffective governments the world round (at both the national and local levels), and -- to add to our worries -- a fourth 'horseman', rapidly accellerating technological change.
Many of these civilizations went from being quite properous to being destitute and famine-striken (often to the point of cannibalism) within a generation or two. Will it take that long for us to get to that point? The answer is no: we will collapse in a fraction of the time it took for them. Everything moves a lot quicker these days. That includes tipping points.
Recall that the Roman Empire -- for centuries -- stretched from Scotland to present-day Iraq. In the middle of the 4th Century AD, those were still its borders. Less than fifty years later, the Visigothic king Alaric was at the gates and the Empire collapsed.
Societal collapse can occur quickly. It has many times in the past. Like a massive tree that looks strong but is rotten at its core, all it takes is one decent-sized storm to knock it down.
"What happens to cities when a state falls? How do the residents sustain themselves if that infrastructure collapses?"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey die.
As Frunobulax718 mentions, civilizations fall into famine and even cannibalism, and that happens first and mostly at the urban centers and nearby areas - when supplies are cut, there is nothing at all to rely on locally. In Egypt's and the Mayas' cases, only isolated and remote populations held on while cities died off, gradually losing most of the previous culture as survival orverrides any superfluous activities.
It should be considered that, as I understand, the author has written this perspective for residents of Syria and neighboring states who have so far survived the unbearable conditions of war and its repercussions on their government, economy and society. I don't these unfortunate people deserve to be told that they should die or become cannibals to survive. IMO, such comments are cruel and inhumane beyond toleration.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCertainly the entire Western world, for example, is NOT suffering from the horrible conditions imposed by having become a military battlefield. Moreover, it must be considered that, while the Akkadian empire was likely isolated in the world during its collapse, there are now surviving governments, economies and societies that can and hopefully will provide some significant support to the unfortunate citizens of Syria. As a result, unlike the Akkadian empire, ancient Egypt or the Mayan culture, this current condition in Syria should not represent the end of all current civilization! At least, I hope not yet...
All that shows is "the more things change the more they stay the same". After more than 4000 years of history mankind is still unhappy. Not much progress there.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe human race always ends up destroying good civilizations because our ancestors allowed psychopaths to rise to the most senior levels of economic, political, military and religious institutions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAll that such psychopaths want is power and control over the "masses". They will lie, cheat, steal or even murder to scratch, scrape and hack their way to the top.
Our civilization may have a slim chance because we have developed the sciences of psychiatry and psychology. What may erode that advantage, is the figurative dragging of feet in making a mandatory policy, of screening individuals applying for supervisory, managerial or executive positions, and weeding out psychopaths from the promotion process.
"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." Karl Marx
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMove along gawker, nothing new in Syria. History has been doing this repeatedly, all over the world. It's beyond farce now!
The parallels between Syria then and now depend on how specific you want to get In the broad brush strokes you have 2 states dominated by a military elite. This is where the similarities end. Acad was an imperial state with military holdings through out the fertile crescent. I believe it was Sargon of Acad that actually kept the first standing army in the region. This regime was supported by a primitive agricultural economy trying to adapt to the 25000 year periodic shift in the monsoon cycle and as W. Rudimann puts it, Phase 1 of AGW. Acad was attempting to hold onto the conquered great cities to the south now of which were particularly fond of their back woods overseers to the north. Such a regime is ripe for any perturbations to bring ruin political, climatic or otherwise.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSyria today is a militarist state supported by petroleum revenue. The current revolution would have met the same end at the previous ones except that this time external forces are supplying the rebels for the purpose of gaining the oil revenues for themselves.
Sir , you have made a very valid point. I find that you have listed Vedics also under the list of civilizations that have gone under. In the opinion held by most , it is only the Vedic civilization that has existed from time immemorial. Vedic life style has changed but the civilization has not gone under. Deep belief in Vedic ideals and faith in Vedic practices is still alive in India.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAccording to our thinking for survival of a society a belief in nonviolence, cooperation and respect for all the creation not just human beings,tolerance of different methods of worship are among the factors that help in sustainability of a society. A decentralized pastoral life style, use of domesticated animals , helped with implementation of modern concept of Zero Food Miles. Vedic system lays great stress on a non consumerist simple living. Donating and sharing one's surplus with society and so on. Even the very rich Indians are known to lead simple life. Rate of savings in India are considered very high.
Pastoral life of Vedics made them simple satisfied peace loving folk, who never went out to satisfy their hunger by plunder and annex more territories. They were able to meet all there requirements from their land, and remained content with what they owned. Such was their life style. Greed did not dictate the society. Vedics did go to war among themselves, but observed very strict codes of war practice like the modern Geneva conventions.
Obviously they lost against enemies who did not observe the Indian war ethics of those days.
New world order has a lot to research and gain insights from Vedic ideals for survival of humanity.
All civilizations fall. Just like animals and plants, civilizations have a finite life cycle and recognizable stages of growth, maturity, and decay. A revolution is not necessarily the end of a society. China has survived numerous revolutions. France and Russia survived horrific revolutions, and there are plenty of other examples. The cities in Syria do not depend on Syrian agriculture alone. Trade with other societies is possible, and in fact likely. There is no validity to compare an isolated ancient civilization to modern interconnected societies, unless one looks at human society as a whole.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt seems likely that if we suffered a serious global war (probably nuclear and biological) and worst-case climate change, that might being about a global collapse of civilization, and the decline of most cities. (When Rome fell, the cities did not entirely vanish. Many survived until the present.) However, one small country does not exist in isolation in our modern world. Somalia is probably a worst case example in our time of what can happen when a corrupt and vicious government collapses and worsening climate adds to the misery. Yet even in Somalia, cities did not entirely disappear, and now the society seems to be making a slow recovery.
However, the lessons we can learn from the collapse of ancient civilizations are relevant, properly understood. I just think that trying to apply these lessons to Syria as if it were an isolated society is not a proper understanding of the modern situation.