Scientists blame bacteria for demise of ancient civilizations

Thousands of years ago, several civilizations fell in the Eastern Mediterranean at about the same time.

Scientists have come up with suggestions that could be the reason for the case, Ferra.Ru reports.

The Ancient Kingdom of Egypt and the Akkadian Empire then fell, and a social crisis erupted in the Ancient Near East and the Aegean Sea regions, manifesting itself in population decline, destruction, and significant cultural changes.

Climate change was called one of the reasons for this, but now scientists have found another one.

In the remains excavated from an ancient burial site in Crete, researchers have found genetic evidence of the presence of bacteria responsible for two of the most serious diseases in history - typhoid fever and plague.

According to the researchers, these diseases cannot be discounted as a factor contributing to social change. Although it is unlikely that pathogens were the sole culprits of the disasters, infectious diseases should be considered as an additional factor, possibly in interaction with climate and migration.