Collapse of Civilizations Essay

The Mayan Civilization collapsed because of Malnutrition. First, people were abandoned by erosion and debris. Mayan farmed an area for up to five years, then they planted nothing there for ten years. Since, their population grew bigger and bigger, they had to overfarmed the hill sides. Naturally, the erosion occurred in the area. Houses were abandoned, and some houses were completely buried by debris. Therefore, people left the area because of erosion and debris can be proved. Second, the land made less and less crops. As the Maya got bigger and bigger, the population also increased. In order to feed large population in valley, farmers decided to grow crops every year. However, even they grew crops every year, the population was too big, so

After finding these results, the authors linked the growth and collapse of the Maya civilization directly to the climatic results they found. Although the Cariaco can not totally explain the relationship between climate conditions and the Maya collapse, it still supports that the changes in rainfall was an important factor. They first suggest that the enlargement of the Maya civilization between 550 and 750 A.D. was due to relatively wet conditions. The Ti concentrations are much higher right before the Terminal Classic Collapse period. Not only were they expanding, but they were expanding to the limit of what the environment can sustain making them largely susceptible to drought. Between 750 and 950 A.D., the

Civilization: The West and the Rest, presented by Niall Ferguson, is a documentary in which Ferguson reveals what he calls the six killer applications which has helped Western civilization dominate over everyone else. These six applications are competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work. Ferguson asks many questions over the course of the series as well as provides examples as to how Western civilization has surpassed other nations and empires. Ferguson’s main question in each episode is, “If we lose our monopoly over apps like these, could Western civilization be consigned to history.” This paper will analyze Ferguson’s questions and the examples he provides for the killer applications of competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work, as well as his conclusions as to why the West has risen to the top, how the rest are passing up the West, as well as his conclusions to if the West can remain above the rest.

All the way from the start of civilization through to the Early Christianity there has been a pantheon of; destruction, recognition, wars, cultural diffusion, religious breakthroughs, laws that have been established, kings and queens crowned and dethroned. The Mesopotamian Civilization it was the land between two rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers that civilization first began.

The collapse of the Mayan Empire is one of history’s greatest mysteries. It was one of the most advanced and developed civilizations of its time period, reining during the Pre-Classic period and into the Classic and Post-Classic Periods (2000 B.C. – 900 A.D.). The territory stretched from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, down to modern day El Salvador in Central America. Its achievements were monumental for the era, being the first empire communicating with the use of a written language having over 800 symbols and producing the first 365 day calendar. They maintained an in-depth understanding of astrological cycles that would assist in planning harvesting cycles and predicting solar eclipses. The Mayan’s

One of the greatest civilizations ever born was the Roman Empire.  When it started off Rome was known as a “sleepy little town”(Background essay) that had awakened once the Greek empire began to fall.  During the time of Julius Caesar was when Rome turned from republic to an Empire with Caesar as its first emperor.  Soon over the years Rome became a powerhouse with its lands stretching all around the Mediterranean Sea.  However unlike other civilizations where they fell because of other civilizations, Rome fell from within its walls because of several possible reasons and theories.

There has recently been discoveries regarding the fates of ancient societies. These discoveries reveal that great cultures like the Mayans, ancient Mesopotamians, and the Anasazi of the American Southwest

The Mayans were a unique civilization with the most sophistication in mesoamerica (1800 BC-250 AD). In this civilization, the major cities include Tikal and Chichen Itza, however independent city-states are run by, kings. Mayans had a polytheistic religion where they believed in afterlife. In addition, Mayans built temples, pyramids for sacrifices, and bloodletting. Yet, they were excellent astronomers. Here priests charted movements of planets, moon, and sun. Also, these distinctive people created calendars, developed a number system, and glyphic writing. Withal their economy was based on agriculture and trade. Nevertheless, what caused this great civilization to collapse? While analyzing the theories, I believe this civilization collapsed, due to: warfare, disease, famine, and disaster/ environmental change.

The mystery concerning the fundamental explanation for the collapse of the Mayan Civilization has been a major focus for researchers in the fields of anthropology and archeology for a considerable period of time. At the very core of this mystery of the Mayan collapse was the question of how could such a strong, stable civilization that had flourished for approximately twenty-seven hundred years disappear without a clear, rational explanation. As a result, researchers have put forth a large number of theories for the explanation of the collapse and subsequent decimation of the Mayan empire.

How could rational thought and technological development have affected the world’s development in the modern age and the development to where we are today?

The Maya society underwent a drastic climate change, and were given little understanding on how to live around it. Climate can do a lot to a population within hours of a day, as weather is what survival surrounds. The Classic Maya was well adapted to the heavy rainfall they received, in fact, much of their agriculture and culture surrounded. So it would seem ironic that a heavy drought would be the root cause of their disappearance, and yet this was the case. Peter deMenocal analyzed a wide range of data from all over the world, looking for a link which connected human communities with natural disasters especially droughts. He found that despite there being other possible situation to the collapse of the Classic Maya society, it wasn’t possible for them to be the sole reason and thus, reasoning that the enduring climatic situation which was presented to the society during the time was truly

purpose: Highlights the collapse of several historical societies and the factors that caused their collapse.

The word “collapse” has a number of connotations associated with it. Some view it exclusively the degradation of societies of the highest order. Others see it as the complete disintegration of economic prospects and commerce. Some even think of it political ruin with the demise of states and ruling factions that maintain order. The most general definition for collapse can includes elements from these three viewpoints. American anthropologist and historian Joseph A. Tainter is best known for his writings on societal collapses. In 1988 he published his most widely recognized work, The Collapse of Complex Societies.

The Mayan Civilization at its height was one of the greatest civilization to ever reign on the planet. Their advances in astronomy and mathematics well in advance has helped present civilizations to prosper. But one of the great questions is what happened to the Mayans? Why did they collapse? What caused them to collapse? It is a question that had gone unanswered for decades until some of the worlds great historians and scientist finally concluded to three reasons why the Mayan Civilization collapsed. The Mayans Collapse was fast and occurred due to Deforestation and Climate Change, Overpopulation, and Internal and Exterior Rivalry.

Although Greenland and Australia are thousands of miles apart and very different in geography, they also have many similarities. In his book “Collapse”, Jared Diamond shows that both countries have the five factors that can contribute to a society’s collapse. Greenland’s Norse society already collapsed a long time ago, while Australia is still a First World country going strong. If some things there don’t change, the country’s living standard will go down and there could be major problems.