Ancient Civilizations and Environmental Responses

<p>Shifting sand dunes covering their irrigation channels (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It helps predict the responses of current societies to potential environmental disruptions (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They moved to sites farther inland adjacent to rivers. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>30 to 120 cm (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Significant reconfigurations making the culture unrecognizable. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>5 million (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Uncertainty in climate models. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To sacrifice his son Isaac. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They were drugged with ayahuasca. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Economic power shifts from wealthy to poor nations. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Social, economic, and political reconfigurations. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Need for millions of people to relocate to higher ground. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Ancient civilizations often experienced collapse or contraction due to interconnected environmental downturns, especially severe droughts that disrupted agricultural systems.

The Mesopotamian city of Uruk, a significant early urban center, collapsed around 5,200-5,000 years ago due to a severe drought.

A drought around 3,900 years ago possibly significantly impacted the Indus Valley civilization, leading to the abandonment of Mohenjo-daro and the surrounding communities.

The Moche civilization, which relied heavily on irrigation, abandoned the Huaca del Sol site due to the drying up of crucial irrigation channels around 600 C.E.

A severe disruption to agricultural subsistence can trigger significant societal consequences, potentially leading to the collapse or contraction of civilizations, even technologically advanced ones.

The Moche people moved inland to river valleys for more reliable water sources during a dry period, demonstrating adaptability to environmental challenges.

Global sea level has risen by approximately 20 cm since the late 1800s, and is projected to rise 30-120 cm by 2100.

A significant societal shift, so profound that the culture is unrecognizable. It's usually a response to a large crisis, but can still be a rational adaptation.

Some ancient societies, like the Shang and Aztecs, practiced human sacrifice, often as a ritual or to appease deities. However, children were less frequently sacrificed.

Some children sacrificed in the Andes were given ayahuasca, a hallucinogen, for weeks or months before their deaths, possibly to prepare them for a ritual.

An example of a test of faith where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, testing the extent of his devotion.

The Moche moved inland to maintain access to water during drought. This shows a rational adaptation to challenges through relocation, and not simply complete societal collapse.

Modern societies face challenges such as environmental changes (sea level rise), resource depletion, and geopolitical instability.

Societies adapt to crises and change by modifying their structures, cultures, and behavior. This can involve significant shifts, but societal adaptation is rational.

Estimating future ocean level change is difficult, but the consensus is that sea levels will continue to rise by 30 to 120 cm by 2100.