Did volcanoes cause the rise of Islam? Huge eruptions brought famine and disease to Roman empire allowing Muslim civilisation to spread

  • Experts studied 300 individual eruptions over the past 2,500 years
  • They found ash and aerosols thrown into the atmosphere in eruptions between 536AD and 626AD transformed the Northern Hemisphere climate
  • This brought plague and famine that decimated the Eastern Roman Empire

Major volcanic eruptions may have paved the way for the rapid spread of Islam across the Middle East, Africa and into Europe.

Scientists have found large volcanic eruptions between 536AD and 626 AD resulted in widespread changes in the climate and famine.

This may have pushed the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, to the brink of collapse and opened the way for a new religion – Islam – to dominate.

Major volcanic eruptions (stock image) sent summer temperatures plummeting numerous times since early Roman times, causing crop failures and famine which changed the course of human history, scientists claim

Major volcanic eruptions (stock image) sent summer temperatures plummeting numerous times since early Roman times, causing crop failures and famine which changed the course of human history, scientists claim

The researchers have found evidence, locked inside ice cores and tree rings around the world, for a massive volcanic eruption in North America in 536AD.

The summer that year appeared to be exceptionally cold – between 1.6°C (34.8°F) and 2.5°C (36.5°F) below the 30 year average.

Historians such as Procopius record thick dust clouds darkening the skies across Europe for nearly 18 month and the sun shining as dimly as the Moon.

It is thought ash thrown out by the volcano caused the disaster, meaning crops received too little light to ripen.

A DUST CLOUD AND THE DEVASTATING JUSTINIAN PLAGUE 

A mystery 'dust cloud' caused by a volcano that hung around for 18 months may have contributed to one of the most severe climate crises in recent modern history.

For 15 years, summers were colder in the Northern hemisphere, causing crop famines, which likely contributed to the outbreak of the Justinian plague, according to the study.

The plague spread throughout the Eastern Roman Empire from 541 to 543 AD, and ultimately decimated the human population across Eurasia.

It is estimated that up to 50 million people died.

The plague was caused by Yersinia pestis, the organism responsible for bubonic plague and its thought to ahve arrived from China.

The waves of disease had a major effect on the future course of European history.

Modern historians named the plague after the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I, who was emperor at the time of the initial outbreak.

Then again in around 539AD or 540AD a second enormous eruption spread more volcanic ash around the globe, blocking out the sun for several more months.

Researchers found evidence for this second eruption encased in ice in both Greenland and Antarctica.

And they said aerosols thrown high into the atmosphere by the eruptions led to longer term cooling of the Northern Hemisphere for the next decade.

The researchers say the environmental disaster was responsible for widespread famine and the great Justinian Plague of 541–543 CE that decimated populations in the Mediterranean and Asia, which is thought to have caused 50 million deaths.

This weakened the Byzantine empire and a further volcanic eruption in 626AD brought political upheaval to the warring groups that fought over the former Roman states.

It may have been this that then aided the rapid spread of the Muslims from the birthplace of Islam on the Arabian peninsula against the remants of the Byzantine Empire.

Following the death of Muhammad in 632AD, the Muslims quickly went on to build one of the largest empires the world has ever seen.

Dr Michael Sigl, assistant research professor at the Desert Research Institie in Reno who led the research, said the volcanic eruptions appear to have played a key role in the fortunes of civilisations around the world.

Scientists analysed volcanic sulphate layered in 20 ice cores  extracted ice sheets in Greenland (one shown) and Antarctica using a state-of-the-art, ‘ultra-trace chemical ice-core analytical system’. This provided a year-by-year history of atmospheric sulphate levels through time

Scientists analysed volcanic sulphate layered in 20 ice cores extracted ice sheets in Greenland (one shown) and Antarctica using a state-of-the-art, 'ultra-trace chemical ice-core analytical system'. This provided a year-by-year history of atmospheric sulphate levels through time

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, in Tunisia was founded in 670AD by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi, around 140 years after the birth of Islam in Saudi Arabia. This rapid spread of the civilisation may have been made possible by the harm wrought on the Roman Empire by large volcanic eruptions on the other side of the world

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, in Tunisia was founded in 670AD by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi, around 140 years after the birth of Islam in Saudi Arabia. This rapid spread of the civilisation may have been made possible by the harm wrought on the Roman Empire by large volcanic eruptions on the other side of the world

He said: 'Using new records we are able to show that large volcanic eruptions in the tropics and high latitudes were the dominant drivers of climate variability, responsible for numerous and widespread summer cooling extremes over the past 2,500 years.

'These cooler temperatures were caused by large amounts of volcanic sulfate particles injected into the upper atmosphere, shielding the Earth's surface from incoming solar radiation.'

The researchers, whose work is published in the Journal Nature, reconstructed the timing and associated climate forcing of nearly 300 individual volcanic eruptions extending as far back as the early Roman period.

They analysed volcanic sulphate layered in 20 ice cores extracted from ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica using a state-of-the-art, 'ultra-trace chemical ice-core analytical system'.

This was used to provide a year-by-year history of atmospheric sulphate levels through time.

This date was compared to ancient and medieval texts from China, Babylon, and Europe that described unusual atmospheric observations such as diminished sunlight, discolouration of the sun, the presence of solar coronae, and strange red twilight skies dating to as early as 254 years BC.

This graph shows that strong and widespread cooling occurred in the immediate aftermath of large volcanic eruptions as indicated by ice cores from Greenland

This graph shows that strong and widespread cooling occurred in the immediate aftermath of large volcanic eruptions as indicated by ice cores from Greenland

They also examined the climate preserved in the growth rings of trees.

They found 15 of the 16 coldest summers followed large volcanic eruptions, with four of the coldest occurring shortly after the largest volcanic events found on record.

By studying 300 eruptions over the past 2,500 years, researchers found large quantities of sulphate particles thrown into the atmosphere caused cool spells by obstructing the sun's rays.

It found that tropical volcanoes, along with large eruptions in Iceland and North America in 536, 626, and 939 AD caused severe and widespread summer cooling in the Northern Hemisphere.

They say their findings could now help unravel how large climatic changes have led to the rise and fall of civilisations throughout human history.

Dr Joe McConnel, who was also involved in the research at the Desert Research Instititute, said: 'This new reconstruction of volcanic forcing will lead to improved climate model simulations through better quantification of the sensitivity of the climate system to volcanic influences during the past 2,500 years.

'As a result, climate variability observed during more recent times can be put into a multi-millennial perspective - including time periods such as the Roman Warm Period and the times of significant cultural change such as Great Migration Period of the 6th century in Europe.'

Quantifying climate variability was challenging because of inconsistencies in historic atmospheric data seen in ice cores and temperature variations observed in tree rings. These tree rings from a bristlecone-pine in Nevada indicating extreme cooling after a large volcanic eruption in 44 BC, the year of Julius Cesar's death

Quantifying climate variability was challenging because of inconsistencies in historic atmospheric data seen in ice cores and temperature variations observed in tree rings. These tree rings from a bristlecone-pine in Nevada indicating extreme cooling after a large volcanic eruption in 44 BC, the year of Julius Cesar's death

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now