Ancient societies and their collapse pose a complicated issue in front human race. There are many ancient societies which have survived the test of time like Tikopea, Tonga, Java, Japan, but there are many which were weakened due to multi-factorial reasons which made it impossible to survive. Some societies were vulnerable to the environment and changing tides of time which led to their collapse.
Collapse of the Anasazi (Southwestern US)
The basic problem of collapse of Southwestern US society of Anasazi was its marginal and fragile environment for agriculture, soils which were quickly exhausted, slow forest regrowth and unpredictable and low rainfall. Environmental problems like streambed erosion, droughts were common (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
In Chapter 4 “The Ancient Ones: The Anasazi and Their Neighbors” of his book Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Jared Diamond amalgamates the archaeological research about Southwestern United States communities which initially flourished and eventually collapsed. According to Diamond communities maintain self-sufficiency to ensure they do not collapse, as any society which is dependent on importing their needs is vulnerable for future collapse. He believes that Chaco Canyon got abandoned due to both drought and human impact on environment (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Drought turned out to be last straw in the collapse of the Southwestern US society which became overpopulated and needed to maintain resources for survival. With increasing population of a complex and intricate society and success of managing goods and water, society started to starve in severe drought as the soil was ruined and no resources could be drawn from it, region was defrosted and dependency increased on “outliers” who started to revolt (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
The Anasazi communities collapse highlights theme of intersection of climate change and impact of human environment, population and environmental problems started to spill into warfare, the strength and danger of complex dependent societies which needed imports and societies collapsing once it reached its optimum power and population (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Diamond has shared references of features for understand how communities survived in Chaco canyon for 600 hundred years and then suddenly started to fail at rapid rate with tree rings dating, packrat middens dating, artifacts, remains of humans, human middens which are enough to understand the striving population which used to live in the Southwestern region of United States (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Despite being a small society, Anasazi were responsible for construction of tallest and largest stone buildings erected in Northern America. Within a year, Anasazi structures were dated which helped in understanding of history of Southwestern community. The societies and cultures of Southwest America (estimated collapse dates): Chaco Canyon, Virgin Anasazi, North Black Mesa (mid or late 12th century), Mimbres (1130 AD), Kayenta Anasazi and Mesa Verde (1300 AD), Mogollon (1400 AD) and Hohokam (1500 AD). These communities vamished but the people existed as they were incorporated within communities which survived like Zuni pueblos and Hopi pueblos (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Easter Island
Early settlers brought crops for cultivation and developed religion and government system in Easter Island. For many centuries they strived, but the requirement of trees started to outpace the re-growth of trees. Seeds placed for growth of trees in forests were consumed by rats which led to deforestation. With deforestation and loss of palm trees, islanders were left with nothing o build their canoes which made them lose their important food source. Community were forced to consume the birds and mollusks, this led to eradication of the birds from the Island. With number of migratory birds heavily reduced and land birds totally extinct, the days of trees’ means for dispersing seeds and pollen. Deforestation served as a deathblow for the Islanders as they became unable to grow crops for filling void in their diets. Soon top soil erosion and streams started to vanish and fires were a luxury. The societies became engulfed in civil wars and by the time European settlers arrived the rival factions were toppling Moai heads. The population was further decimated with European diseases and Islanders were kidnapped from slave trade purposes. The population of Polynesian people declined from 20,000 to just 3,000 within a matter of few years (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Deforestation was not the only result faced by elaborate ceremonial and social life in the Island as the drastic effects were faced by the daily lives of population too. From 1500, many people started to abandon their timber homes and moved into caves due to wood being rare resource and the society had to live with the means they had remaining. The community started to shift to the stone shelters which were in hillsides or reed huts away from vegetation which grew at the edge of crater lakes. Without woods from trees, canoes were made of reed boats which could not be used for longer voyages and nets which were made from mulberry tree were no longer available making fishing very difficult for the people (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Jared Diamond said about Easter Island being “the most extreme example of forest destruction in the Pacific, and among the most extreme in the world”. The startling fact was people strived to survive even after the society started to collapse as people kept hunting excessively, built more Moai heads and cut down remaining and growing trees. The society of Easter Island had to fall as its time ran out with people consuming more than the Island could give to them (“Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”).
Conclusion
Jared Diamond with his book Collapse has discussed the power of nature and how some communities have vanished over the years when they failed to understand the law of nature. Most of the stories discuss the reasons behind the decline and collapse of societies which used to strive like Southwestern US and Easter Island society. Most of these societies faced with diminishing resources started to collapse without the basic requirements which initially made these socities
Works Cited
Diamond, J. “Chapter 4 -The Ancient Ones: The Anasazi and Their Neighbors”. Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Print. 2013
“The Disappearance of the Anasazi—How much is really mystery? ”. http://www.english.iup.edu/lmasiell/courses%20spring%2008/499/disappearance_of_the_anasazi.htm. english.iup.edu. Web. 2013
