[Rockingham]

That is all plausible, but it leaves unaddressed the point that weather calamaties and famines do have effects. My guess is that with modern science now providing proof of a cause, historians of ancient Rome will find proof of the effects.

[rollo tomasi]

"...weather calamaties and famines do have effects."

The gods were blamed for that and it was always everyone/someone else doing something that pissed-off "the gods" even during the Republic's height.