Shifting monsoon patterns linked to climate change likely caused the rise and fall of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, according to a study analysing data from North India from the past 5,700 years.
The analysis by an Indian-origin scientist at the Rochester University of Technology in the US, measured the presence of particular chemical forms in South Asian caves to formulate a record of monsoon rainfall in the region for the past 5,700 years.
While there are several theories about why the Indus Valley Civilisation declined, including invasion by nomadic Indo-Aryans and earthquakes, climate change appears to be the most likely scenario, the study published in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science noted.