There is much public discussion about the role of human activities in the changing climate but one research study looked at a diametrically opposite concept: the role of changing climate in the development of human culture.
A team of scientists in the UK and Spain studied sedimentary core samples off the coast of South Africa and reconstructed climate variability over the past 100,000 years. They found that South Africa experienced a number of rapid climate transitions towards wetter conditions at the same time when the Northern Hemisphere experienced extremely cold conditions.
They then compared the timing of these periods of wet conditions with archeological data and found that these periods of increased rainfall correlate very well with the emergence of major new human industries during the Middle Stone Age. These new industries disappeared with climate shifts to drier conditions. Periods of increased rainfall led to population growth, which in turn fueled cultural changes through increased human interactions. In other words, human behavior and the formation of culture were driven by changes in the climate.
The archeological record when combined with the geological record in South Africa shows a remarkable correlation at the dawn of history when climate change helped shape human culture. Researchers will need similarly high-quality data from other parts of the world in order to better understand this phenomenon. But as we grapple with a climate that once again seems to be undergoing rapid change, it is important to understand that throughout human history, climate has played an essential role in our cultural evolution.
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Origins of human culture linked to rapid climate change
Photo, posted August 31, 2009, courtesy of Development Planning Unit University College London via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.