According to the results of a recent study, climate change and drought might have led to the downfall of some ancient civilizations. Researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany, working with experts from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut studied barley grains to determine how agricultural societies were influenced by droughts over the past twelve thousand years.

According to the results of a recent study, climate change and drought might have led to the downfall of some ancient civilizations.

Researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany, working with experts from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut studied barley grains to determine how agricultural societies in the Near East were influenced by droughts over the past twelve thousand years.

Based on analysis of 33 different kinds of modern and ancient barley, they were able to figure out the climate conditions of the past and how that affected agriculture in the Fertile Crescent.

The Fertile Crescent is an ancient agricultural area where Middle Eastern land and the Mediterranean Basin meet.

Frank Hole, an emeritus professor of anthropology at Yale University and co-author of the study, is quoted as saying: "There has been a longtime debate about the relationship between climate and its changes and the development and in some cases demise of cultures. The research that we did is attempting to pinpoint this more directly."

Data from the study shows a correlation between droughts and changes in agricultural practices, along with the movement of refugee populations.

Results of the study can help experts evaluate current crop conditions in areas that are threatened by water shortages or drought.

The study is part of a larger investigation into the rise and fall of ancient Near East civilizations funded by the German Research Foundation.