Chinese dynasties collapsed from volcanic activity

[guy]

The role of climate’s impact on the stability of ancient societies is not well appreciated. Here is an interesting study on the impact of volcanic activity on Chinese dynasties.

 

”The study compared the dates of volcanic eruptions gleaned from ice-core measurements of sulphate deposited on the polar icesheets with the dates known from historical records of Chinese dynastic collapse across the first two millennia of the Common Era. This exercise found that 62 of the 68 dynastic collapses were closely preceded by at least one volcanic eruption.”
 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211111214623.htm

 

 

 

[caldrail]

Really? Haven't you noticed how popular it's become to blame societal collapse on volcanic eruptions? Bear in mind that eruptions are not uncommon events, so in a large empire like ancient China, the odds of there being an eruption close to dynastic change may be no more than random chance. Now I say this because where we have documented eruptions in historical record, they generally do not cause any political change and still don't to this day.

Take Vesuvius for example. We all know something about the dramatic events that buried towns in the area in ad79. True, the event was a bad omen in many peoples minds during Titus' reign, but there were others, including plague, and he did not fall. But did you know there were other eruptions of that volcano in 472, 787, 1139, 1500, 1631, 1660, 1698, 1707, 1760, 1767, 1779, 1794, 1822, 1834, 1850, 1861, 1872, 1906, 1929, and 1944? And I'm only listing those described as explosive. granted, many of these were not on the same magnitude as the infamous 79 eruption, but you do understand that evidence of volcanic activity is common enough to coincide with dynastic change at some point?