Archaeologists discover evidence of a vanished civilisation from 1300s
Lucy Pasha-Robinson,The Independent 5 hours ago Posted on 08/10/2017 10:26:26 AM PDT by ckilmer
Lucy Pasha-Robinson,The Independent 5 hours ago 
Archaeologists may have discovered evidence of an ancient civilisation that disappeared from a corner of the southwestern US over seven centuries ago.
The exodus of the Ancestral Puebloans has baffled scientists for years after they vanished without a trace from Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park in the 13th Century.
One theory was the group - also known as the Anasazi - had simply migrated several hundred kilometres east.
Now scientists may have found the evidence to prove that theory by studying the genetic composition of ancient animal bones buried in the region.
Mitochondrial DNA from ancient turkey bones found there had been an influx of fowl in the late 1300s, and prior to 1280 the turkeys’ lineage had been different.
The evidence suggests the Anasazi suffered some kind of change in climate, political upheaval, drought or other during this time, lending weight to the theory that they migrated.
“Results are consistent with a large-scale migration of humans, accompanied by their domestic turkeys, during the 13th century CE,” researchers wrote.
“These results support scenarios that suggest contemporary Pueblo peoples of the Northern Rio Grande are biological and cultural descendants of Four Corners populations.”
The study titled “Prehistoric mitochondrial DNA of domesticate animals supports a 13th century exodus from the northern US southwest” was first published in the journal PlosOne.
This is why I never eat an Indian Taco.
There might be somebody you know in it.
What? Climate change before SUVs? How can that be?
This was also right about the beginning of the Little Ice Age, too. Maybe a correlation there.
however, isn't it interesting that they never mention WAR as a reason their civilization was destroyed or forced to move...
that would mean the evil Indians kicked them out...
‘living harmoniousy with the animals’
the domestic turkeys were not invited to comment...
Nobody likes to point this out because it isn't politically correct, but they also were not very good a managing their resources. They used a lot of wood, but never planted any trees to replace the ones they cut down. Kind of odd, since they were good farmers. After a few hundred years the trees were gone in the southwest, and the topsoil blown away. The land is still recovering.
No, it is communist revisionism: Common Era & Before Common Era.
As usual, they do not invent, they subvert. The timeline is still based upon the life of Jesus Christ.
That was a fascinating rabbit trail to hop down!
lmao
Just looking at that photo, it’s pretty obvious what happened. Those black marks on the ceiling of the cave are smoke smudges. Caused by burning wood. Which releases CO2. Which causes global warming. Which results in extended droughts and desertification.
No wonder they had to move
Canyon de Chelly is the only National Park I’ve ever been to that explicitly forbids the possession of alcohol.
I was hassled about it by a park ranger, even.
Reason? It is surrounded entirely by a res full of people with substance abuse problems. Seems the gov’t feels compelled to protect people from themselves.
Note: this topic is from . Thanks ckilmer.
Read Louis L’Amour’s novel, “Haunted Mesa”
The Anasazi mystery is the foundation of his story. And he’s a great American western author, so it’sa good read..
Thanks for the suggestion.
An Interesting Read:
"Did a group of thirteenth-century Japanese merge with the people, language, and religion of the Zuni tribe? For many years, anthropologists have understood the Zuni in the American Southwest to occupy a special place in Native American culture and ethnography. Their language, religion, and blood type are startlingly different from all other tribes. Most puzzling, the Zuni appear to have much in common with the people of Japan. In a book with groundbreaking implications, Dr. Nancy Yaw Davis examines the evidence underscoring the Zuni enigma and suggests..."
Drought is a killer in the U.S. Southwest. Someone just published a study on the disappearance of the Mayans as being consistent with a massive drought that last for centuries.
I wonder if the time line here would also be tht of the Central American drought. I don’t have time to research any correspondence but its a thought.
Drought in the Yucatan among the Maya started about 800 AD. It corresponds with the medieval warm in northern europe that started at the same time. Whereas the medieval warm caused a population explosion among the vikings and sent their population all over europe and russia—the same medieval warm caused drought in central america and population collapse.
In the mississipi valley there was a period of lessened rainfall that enabled indians from the plains to settle on some of the richest farmlands in north america in southeast illinios where they built the earth pyramids there.
The climate became colder and wetter starting in the 1300’s. The jungles grew over the mayan homelands. The vikings were forced out of greenland. The cahokia pyramid builders were flooded out.
The southwest at this time experienced drought—according to the article. So I’m not sure how that fits.
Been to Mesa Verde a couple of times. Awesome place. What we actually know is that the Anasazi were there, and then they weren’t. The rest is speculation. But I highly recommend the park.
/bingo
There’s a real heartbeat to the boom-bust of Central American civs; Teotihuacan was, if memory serves, built by the Toltecs, and so impressed later cultures that they attributed it to divine construction.
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