Mini ice age was final death blow to Roman Empire, unusual rocks in Iceland suggest

Mini ice age was final death blow to Roman Empire, unusual rocks in Iceland suggest

Rocks from Greenland found on Iceland's west coast could link the late Roman Empire's fall to a spell of sudden climate change. But historians say that the real story is likely much more complicated.

A sixth-century little ice age may have contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire

The fall of the Western Roman Empire has baffled historians for centuries, and explanations have ranged from corruption and political collapse to military defeat and economic collapse. Now, new evidence suggests a surprise factor: a brief but intense climate crisis known as the Late Antique Little Ice Age may have helped deliver a deathblow to an already faltering empire. A Scene in Ancient Rome, by Joseph Gandy (1771–1843). Credit: Yale Center …