Genghis Khan Didn't Bring Down Central Asia's Medieval River Civilizations. But Climate Change Did

A new study challenges the long-held view that the destruction of 13th-century societies in the heart of Asia was a direct result of the Mongol invasion.

By Anamaria Silic
Mar 3, 2021 6:00 PM
genghis khan on a horse - shutterstock
(Credit: Albina Tiplyashina/Shutterstock)

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In 1206, Genghis Khan began the Mongol invasion, leading a horse-driven bow-wielding military force that swept through much of modern-day Asia into the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Over the course of the century-and-a-half run of the Mongol Empire, about a quarter of the world's total land area was conquered and an estimated 40 million people were slaughtered. Today, the name of Genghis Khan remains a byword for brutality, terror and military power. But, according to new research, Khan had an unexpected ally in his conquests: climate change.  

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