Abrupt population drops over 3,000 years ago in the waning years of China's Shang dynasty were likely the result of a deadly increase in typhoons and related weather events, according to a new study that combined ancient texts, archaeological evidence and paleoclimate modeling.
These coastal typhoons likely caused disastrous climate events, such as massive floods, that hit China's Central Plains, sometimes called the "cradle of Chinese civilization." This area was home to a royal dynasty called the Shang that ruled the Yellow River valley from 1600 to 1046 B.C. The Shang dynasty is known for having the earliest evidence of writing, in the form of divination texts inscribed on "oracle bones" made from turtle shells and ox shoulder bones. In addition, tens of thousands of bronze, ceramic and jade artifacts have been unearthed at the Shang capital in the modern-day city of Anyang, revealing the wealth and power of the dynasty before it was overthrown by the Zhou people.
