-Caveat Lector-
{{I did not know this cycle of intensity existed. This is on
topic with the disappearance of the Myans. I think we are
entering a very intense phase of the sun as even though it is
only about 90 degrees here, the sun becomes painful more
quickly than normal. Others have commented on this to me,
too, so it is not just me who thinks so. We are all gonna
FRY!!}}
ISSUE 2184 Friday 18 May 2001
Sun's 200-year cycle may have doomed Mayans
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent
THE ancient Mayans, a fervently religious people who
believed that their destiny was predetermined by the heavens,
may have been doomed by a 200-year cycle in the brightness of
the Sun.
Scientists have found a link between a long-term solar pattern
and a series of devastating droughts that buffeted Mayan
cities and farms and led to the collapse of the civilisation
in the ninth century. The Mayans were talented astronomers who
designed their jungle pyramids and palaces in the Yucatan
peninsular in present day Mexico to reflect the movement of
the Sun, Moon and Venus. They were also keen calendar-makers
who kept time with several cycles that incorporated the
movements in the heavens.
A new study of lake sediments in the area suggests that they
were particularly vulnerable to changes in the intensity of
the Sun's rays. Dr David Hodell, of the University of Florida,
who reports the findings today in Science, said changes in the
Sun's energy output had a direct effect on the climate of the
Yucatan causing the recurrence of drought, which influenced
the Maya evolution.
He has previously argued that the collapse of the Mayan
civilisation was influenced by a severe drought that lasted
more than 150 years. The new findings come from a study of
cores removed from the bottom of Lake Chichancanab in central
America. The team found distinct layers of gypsum in the
cores, formed when the lakes dried out during droughts. The
layers appeared every 208 years.
The cycle is almost identical to a 206-year natural cycle in
solar intensity, said Dr Hodell. His team found that the
droughts took place during the most intense part of the cycle.
The driest years also occurred at times when the Mayan culture
was going through downturns, abandoning cities or slowing down
the amount of building and carving. He said: "It is ironic
that a culture so obsessed with keeping track of celestial
movements may have met their demise because of a 206-year
cycle."
Ancient Mayan culture began around AD300 and flourished until
around AD800 when the great cities in the south of the
civilisation collapsed. Mayan culture continued in the north
until the Spanish conquest of the 16th century.
28 April 2001: History of Mayans lost to looters
18 May 1999: Guatemala rejects equal rights for Mayans
13 September 1997: [Features] A string of pearls
14 July 1997: Tale of warrior king confirms ancient text
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