ABSTRACT
In recent decades archaeologists have been extremely sceptical of invoking environmental factors to account for cultural and social change. The increasing availability of archaeological and climatic data with high degrees of temporal resolution has meant that the study of such questions now has a much more substantial database. However, even with improved chronological resolution, identifying causal connections remains difficult. This chapter examines three case studies where climatic factors have been used to explain demographic decline, the circum-Alpine Neolithic in the later 4th millennium, the East Mediterranean in the late 3rd millennium and the arid southwest of North America AD 400–1400, and emphasizes the importance of understanding patterns of costs and benefits to people in particular local situations. Although the issues involved are complex, the impact of climate change on past human societies and economies should not be ignored or considered insignificant.
