Recent research by Cambridge University highlights the impact of prolonged megadroughts on the decline of the Indus Civilization, which thrived in parts of modern Pakistan and India during the Bronze Age. A stalagmite from a Himalayan cave revealed evidence of multiple extended droughts starting around 4,200 years ago that lasted over 200 years. Researchers identified three significant droughts, each persisting between 25 to 90 years, marking a transformative period for the Indus people. The study’s authors utilized environmental tracers from the stalagmite’s growth layers to reconstruct historic rainfall patterns, illustrating a persistent lack of summer and winter rainfall crucial for agriculture.
The findings suggest that agriculture significantly shifted, with populations moving from large urban centers to smaller rural settlements, relying more on drought-tolerant summer crops like millets. This adaptation indicates that the inhabitants were responsive to their changing environment despite the hardships. Enhanced collaboration between archaeology and palaeoclimatology is enabling researchers to refine their understanding of the climatic influences on societal changes. Future research aims to explore the rainfall patterns across the Indus River Region, particularly in areas affected by both summer monsoons and winter rains, to gain further insights into this critical historical transformation.
