The Ancient Maya Response to Climate Change: A Cautionary Tale

Date: 

Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 6:00pm

Location: 

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St., Cambridge

Ancient Maya civilization—known for its cities, monumental architecture, ceramics, hieroglyphic writing, and advanced understanding of mathematics and astronomy—suffered a major demise between the tenth and eleventh centuries. The causes continue to be investigated and debated. Paleoenvironmental research over the past twenty years has revealed that the demise coincided with a prolonged intensive drought that extended across the region, providing compelling evidence that climate change played a key role in the collapse of the Maya.

In this lecture, Billie Turner will examine this evidence and the complex social and environmental conditions—including land use and landscape changes—that affected Maya societies.

Learn more about The Ancient Maya Response to Climate Change: A Cautionary Tale.