4.2 kiloyear event
E89401
The 4.2 kiloyear event was a major global climatic downturn around 2200 BCE, marked by widespread aridification and cooling that is thought to have contributed to the collapse or transformation of several ancient civilizations.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| 4.2 kiloyear event canonical | 4 |
| 4.2 kyr event | 1 |
Statements (53)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Holocene climatic anomaly
ⓘ
climatic event ⓘ |
| affects |
East Asia
ⓘ
Eastern Mediterranean ⓘ Middle East ⓘ
surface form:
Near East
North Africa ⓘ North Atlantic area ⓘ
surface form:
North Atlantic region
South Asia ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
4.2 ka BP event
ⓘ
4.2 ka event ⓘ 4.2 kiloyear event ⓘ
surface form:
4.2 kyr event
|
| associatedWith |
collapse of the Akkadian Empire
ⓘ
collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization ⓘ crop failures ⓘ decline of the Old Kingdom of Egypt ⓘ famine ⓘ societal stress and migration ⓘ transformations in Early Bronze Age societies in the Levant ⓘ urban abandonment in some regions ⓘ widespread drought ⓘ |
| characterizedBy |
aridification
ⓘ
cooling ⓘ increased climate variability ⓘ |
| chronologyMethod |
layer counting in ice cores
ⓘ
radiocarbon dating ⓘ |
| classifiedAs | global-scale climatic perturbation ⓘ |
| duration | several centuries ⓘ |
| endTime | circa 1900 BCE ⓘ |
| hasCause |
changes in atmospheric circulation
ⓘ
shifts in monsoon systems ⓘ |
| hasEvidence |
archaeological data
ⓘ
ice core records ⓘ lake sediment records ⓘ marine sediment cores ⓘ pollen records ⓘ speleothem records ⓘ |
| impactOn |
Indus Valley
ⓘ
surface form:
Indus Valley urban centers
ancient Egyptian civilization ⓘ ancient Mesopotamian civilizations ⓘ pastoral and agricultural systems ⓘ |
| partOf | Holocene ⓘ |
| recognizedBy |
archaeologists
ⓘ
geologists ⓘ paleoclimatologists ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
8.2 kiloyear event
ⓘ
Holocene climatic optimum ⓘ Little Ice Age ⓘ |
| significance | considered one of the most severe Holocene climate events ⓘ |
| startTime | circa 2200 BCE ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
approximately 4.2 thousand years before present
ⓘ
around 2200 BCE ⓘ |
| uncertainty | spatial extent and exact mechanisms are debated ⓘ |
| usedIn | studies of climate–society interactions ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
4.2 kyr event