Plagues, famines, wars, extreme climates all took place during a time that researchers consider to be the worst in human history.
Research by a Harvard professor shows that the year 536 was the worst time in human history. Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia are shrouded in darkness because of a mysterious fog.
Volcanic eruption in Iceland in the 6th century created the worst period in human history.
It also causes snowfall in China, causing crop failure, severe drought, disease, and famine across the northern hemisphere.
That bleak period was triggered by an Icelandic volcanic eruption, creating a century of famine and death.
Michael McCormick, a Harvard University archaeologist and medieval historian, told Science that the world showed no signs of recovering until 640.
“It was the worst period in human history , the worst period for survival ,” McCormick said.
The layer of fog kept the northern hemisphere in darkness for 18 months, day and night.
Temperatures in the summer of 536 averaged 1.5-2.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest level in the past 2,300 years.
The world is in darkness during the year 536.
This period of global catastrophe is also known as the “dark age” . The exact cause of this event was a mystery to scientists, until new research by McCormick et al.
Specifically, the researchers believe that the 536-year volcano eruption in Iceland was the main trigger . Magnetic volcanoes continued to erupt in 540 and 547.
Millions of tons of ash spread around the world, creating a bad period for a century.
The study is detailed in the journal Antiquity.