Ancient Peruvians rarely turned to violence during climate disasters, study finds
Researchers examined 1,500 skeletons from the Lambayeque Valley to see how societies responded to El Niño flooding and drought.
A study of over 1,500 ancient Peruvians living across 3,000 years suggests that everyday violence was rare, even during periods of environmental upheaval. According to a report by the Times of India, researchers from New York University and George Mason University examined skeletons from 30 sites in the Lambayeque Valley to understand social responses to climate disasters.
The researchers looked for cranial trauma, which typically indicates violence, and postcranial trauma, which often indicates accidents. They found that only 25 individuals, or 1.6 per cent of the sample, showed signs of violence, while 77 individuals, or 5.1 per cent, showed signs of accidental trauma. Neither of these categories correlated with ecological instability.
While mass human sacrifices were linked to the collapse of the Moche and Sicán political systems during El Niño flooding, the researchers found these were ritualised rather than part of daily life. Dr Thomas Snyder of New York University, a co-author of the study published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, said that widespread violence is not a predetermined response to climate change.
Dr Haagen Klaus of George Mason University, also a co-author, stated that violence and social unravelling are not destined outcomes. He noted that the Lambayeque Valley saw 6,000 years of creative adaptations to El Niño that did not include widespread violence.
The researchers suggested that access to the coast might have reduced the impact of food shortages. Dr Snyder noted that while they looked at long-term associations, they would ideally like to radiocarbon-date the entire sample to identify any missed trends.