Scientists Assert That This Was The Cause Of The Byzantine Empire’s Demise – And That People Today Should Be Alarmed

In 536 A.D., the Late Antique Little Ice Age began, and its beginnings were dramatic. Three volcanoes erupted with such force that their ash obliterated the sun’s rays. Even if one of the eruptions happened further north — probably in Alaska or Iceland — the Byzantine Empire was nonetheless affected. In fact, the weather in the Northern Hemisphere was noticeably cooler over 150 years.

Although historians have generally concentrated on the Byzantine Empire’s geography and politics as factors in its demise, the natural world may also have had a role. While we commonly link climate change with the Industrial Revolution’s advancements, it has existed in many ways on a smaller scale across history.