I read a lot of scientific and socio-economic articles about research into conditions during the Little Ice Age. They give me context into how our ancestors fared during the period from the early 14th to the early 19th centuries.
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| Hunters in the Snow - 1565 painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder |
One such
piece I came across was written in 2001 and titled, Variability of
climate in meridional Balkans during the periods 1675-1715 and 1780-1830 and
its impact on human life. Okay, it’s not a new study but as you read
more about certain subjects you continually come across more articles and books
written in past decades that are just as relevant now as when they were
published.
The paper specifically
discusses the Balkans region but its conclusions are similar to those of other
studies done for much of the European continent. I will note other publications
in future posts to give readers a broader view of overall conditions of the
Little Ice Age everywhere.
The authors
used data from (limited) instrumental records; annals, chronicles and
historiographies; records of public administration and government; travel
reports; scientific writings (books and historical climatological papers); and
monastery records. Sources offer “direct or indirect information about the
course of the weather or meteorological phenomena or they describe natural
phenomena and social events related to weather. Information about famine and
epidemics, such as plague, are also included.”
Data have
been collected from former Yugoslavian countries, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece,
Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Romania, Syria and Turkey. Comparisons were made with
similar data from the period 1961-1990, where there is also valid instrumental
measurement, in order to quantify older references.
The authors
describe not only the physical conditions of weather and climate during the
period but also how such parameter impacted people directly.
There is an excellent bibliography of relevant studies from most parts of Europe that will be worth reading.
References:
Xoplaki, Eleni, Ranagiotis Maheras & Juerg Luterbacher. (2001). Variability of climate in meridional Balkans during the periods 1675-1715 and 1780-1830 and its impact on human life. Climate Change, v.48, pp. 581-615. Download from file:///F:/Downloads/Variability_of_climate_in_meridional_Bal%20(1).pdf
Other
blog references:
Book
Review: A Cold Welcome (12 June 2018) https://discovergenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/06/book-review-cold-welcome.html
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