Environmental Factors

 

Environmental Factors Affecting Climate Change in Prehistoric Britain

Environmental factors, particularly climatic changes, have been suggested as contributing to significant shifts in prehistoric life. According to archaeoclimatologists, one such factor could have been the decline in temperature around 1200 BC, which may have been exacerbated by the eruption of Mount Hekla in Iceland around 1100 BC. The eruption was so intense that it is believed to have ejected vast quantities of debris into the atmosphere, creating a dust cloud that potentially blocked much of the sun’s rays. This could have contributed to colder, more challenging conditions in northern Britain during this period.

However, there is ongoing debate about the extent to which the eruption of Mount Hekla directly caused widespread climatic change. Some scholars argue that while the eruption may have contributed to cooling, it may not have been the primary driver of the changes observed in the environment. Supporting evidence for the theory lies in the presence of ash found in Scotland and further south in the north-west of Britain, which points to volcanic activity during this time.

Nonetheless, many academic papers suggest that the decline in temperature and environmental degradation during this period were primarily due to human activities, rather than solely the eruption of Hekla. Rudimentary farming methods, widespread deforestation, and increased rainfall are believed to have played a more significant role. For example, when forests were cleared on upland areas, the resulting increase in rainfall led to the erosion of fertile soil, which washed into the valleys. This, in turn, contributed to the creation of blanket bogs on higher ground, further altering the landscape and climate.