Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula
Abstract The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural changes in human history. This expansion reached the Iberian Peninsula with the replacement of the Visigothic Kingdom by the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate and the Muslim Emirate of Córdoba during the 8th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41367-7 |
| _version_ | 1797558086261538816 |
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| author | Jon Camuera Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo José Soto-Chica Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno Antonio García-Alix María J. Ramos-Román Leena Ruha Manuel Castro-Priego |
| author_facet | Jon Camuera Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo José Soto-Chica Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno Antonio García-Alix María J. Ramos-Román Leena Ruha Manuel Castro-Priego |
| author_sort | Jon Camuera |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural changes in human history. This expansion reached the Iberian Peninsula with the replacement of the Visigothic Kingdom by the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate and the Muslim Emirate of Córdoba during the 8th century CE. In this study we made a compilation of western Mediterranean pollen records to gain insight about past climate conditions when this expansion took place. The pollen stack results, together with other paleohydrological records, archaeological data and historical sources, indicate that the statistically significant strongest droughts between the mid-5th and mid-10th centuries CE (450–950 CE) occurred at 545–570, 695–725, 755–770 and 900–935 CE, which could have contributed to the instability of the Visigothic and Muslim reigns in the Iberian Peninsula. Our study supports the great sensitivity of the agriculture-based economy and socio-political unrest of Early Medieval kingdoms to climatic variations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:26:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8e90849ab49345dbac087dfbd71aea4b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:26:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-8e90849ab49345dbac087dfbd71aea4b2023-11-20T10:10:43ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-09-0114111010.1038/s41467-023-41367-7Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian PeninsulaJon Camuera0Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo1José Soto-Chica2Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno3Antonio García-Alix4María J. Ramos-Román5Leena Ruha6Manuel Castro-Priego7Andalusian Earth Sciences Institute (IACT), Spanish National Research Council - University of Granada (CSIC-UGR)Andalusian Earth Sciences Institute (IACT), Spanish National Research Council - University of Granada (CSIC-UGR)Department of Medieval History and Historiographic Sciences and Techniques, University of GranadaDepartment of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Faculty of Science, University of GranadaDepartment of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Faculty of Science, University of GranadaFaculty of Education, Mid-Atlantic UniversityNatural Resources Institute FinlandUnit of Archaeology, Department of History and Philosophy, University of AlcaláAbstract The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural changes in human history. This expansion reached the Iberian Peninsula with the replacement of the Visigothic Kingdom by the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate and the Muslim Emirate of Córdoba during the 8th century CE. In this study we made a compilation of western Mediterranean pollen records to gain insight about past climate conditions when this expansion took place. The pollen stack results, together with other paleohydrological records, archaeological data and historical sources, indicate that the statistically significant strongest droughts between the mid-5th and mid-10th centuries CE (450–950 CE) occurred at 545–570, 695–725, 755–770 and 900–935 CE, which could have contributed to the instability of the Visigothic and Muslim reigns in the Iberian Peninsula. Our study supports the great sensitivity of the agriculture-based economy and socio-political unrest of Early Medieval kingdoms to climatic variations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41367-7 |
| spellingShingle | Jon Camuera Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo José Soto-Chica Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno Antonio García-Alix María J. Ramos-Román Leena Ruha Manuel Castro-Priego Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula Nature Communications |
| title | Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula |
| title_full | Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula |
| title_fullStr | Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula |
| title_short | Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula |
| title_sort | drought as a possible contributor to the visigothic kingdom crisis and islamic expansion in the iberian peninsula |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41367-7 |
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