Drought ended Mycenean era, research shows

The Bronze Age civilization of the Mycenaeans collapsed due to an extended drought in the western Peloponnese, according to a study conducted by researchers Martin Finne and Karin Holmgren of the Navarino Environmental Observatory in collaboration with archaeologist Shari Stocker.

The researchers drew their conclusions after examining a stalactite from a cave on the uninhabited the islet of Schiza off the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese which yielded precise information on the weather conditions that prevailed in the region from around 1200 to 1180 BC.

The Mycenaean civilization spanned the period from approximately 1600-1100 BC.