Drought may have led to the Hunnic invasions

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK argue that Hunnic peoples migrated westward across Eurasia, switched between farming and herding, and became violent raiders in response to severe drought in the Danube frontier provinces of the Roman Empire.

Drought may have led to the Huns becoming raiders in the 5th century, according to researchers. Prior to this, the Huns were animal herders, but extreme drought spells from 430 to 450 CE disrupted the way of life in the Danube frontier provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire, forcing Hunnic people to adopt new strategies to buffer themselves against severe economic challenges.

Susanne Hakenbeck, an associate professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge in the UK, and Prof Ulf Büntgen from the university’s Department of Geography have come to this conclusion after assessing a new tree-ring-based hydroclimate reconstruction, within the context of archaeological and historical evidence.

NEW DATA

The Hunnic incursions into Eastern and Central Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries CE have long been viewed as the crisis that triggered the so-called Great Migrations of barbarian tribes, leading to the fall of the Roman Empire.

However, where the Huns came from and what their impact on the Roman provinces was is actually unclear.

New climate data reconstructed from tree rings by Büntgen and his colleagues provide information about yearly changes in climate over the last 2 000 years. It shows that Hungary experienced unusually dry summers in the 4th and 5th centuries. Hakenbeck and Büntgen point out that climatic fluctuations, in particular drought spells from 420 to 450 CE, would have reduced crop yields and pasture for animals beyond the flood plains of the Danube and Tisza rivers.