Monday, July 27, 2009

Climate study puts Incas’ success down to 400 years of warm weather

The Times/UK, July 27, 2009

The Inca City of Machu Picchu.

The Inca City of Machu Picchu was built during the 400-year warm spell, scientists say

Hannah Devlin

Supreme military organisation and a flair for agricultural invention are traditionally credited for the rise of the Incas. However, their success may have owed more to a spell of good weather — a spell that lasted for more than 400 years.

According to new research, an increase in temperature of several degrees between AD1100 and 1533 allowed vast areas of mountain land to be used for agriculture for the first time. This fuelled the territorial expansion of the Incas, which at its peak stretched from the modern Colombian border to the middle of Chile.

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