Attila The Hun Attacked Rome to Save His People From Starvation, New Study Suggests

The Huns might not have been the cut-throat barbarians who had an "infinite thirst for gold" according to some historians.

According to a new study reconstructing climate data from tree rings, semi-nomadic people were compelled to raid and invade the eastern Roman provinces because they were hungry.

The early fifth century on the Great Hungarian plain was marked by a series of very dry summers.

Archeologists from the University of Cambridge say that people living in the eastern part of the world would have experienced a tumultuous climate between 400 and 450CE.

Hun communities would have had to switch back and forth between farming in a fixed spot and herding animals to lusher pastures during periods of dry weather.

The Huns are thought to have had several changes of diet within their lifetimes. They were able to adapt to any food source that was most convenient. This could have led to a shift in societal roles.

If resource scarcity became too extreme, settled populations may have been forced to move, switch between farming and herding animals.

Insurance strategies could have been important during a downturn.

The worst of the warfare was triggered by Attila the Hun. Historians say the Hun leader made increasing demands for their gold and land with raids on their city-states.

It's important to note that Attila's attacks on the eastern frontier occurred during a time of increasing aridity in the Carpathian Basin.

The relationship between the Huns and Romans began to break down in the 400s. Hun herders may have been forced to become Hun harassers during the years of dry weather.

The ragtag group would have raided the livestock of their neighbors, using a warrior king to bring them together and negotiate monetary demands.

According to researchers from Cambridge, the most devastating Hunnic incursions happened during extremely dry summers.

The question of whether altered environmental affordances provoked adaptation to subsistence, economy, and perhaps even social organization is raised.

The timing of the archaeological evidence is suspicious and worth investigating further. If the authors are correct, Attila may have been trying to keep his people alive by attacking the Roman empire.

Records show that Attila once demanded a strip of land from the empire. Animals like sheep, camels, or horses can be found in the floodplains.

Researchers think Attila's raids were used to acquire food and livestock during times of dry weather.

The Huns captured the city of Milan under his rule. There was a fight for power after Attila's death. The Huns were defeated within a year.

History was written by the victors The Huns became known as ugly and angry because of Roman descriptions.

The new findings show that the ancient people changed their social and political organization to focus on violent raiding in order to survive.

The negative image is still present today. Natural lines in the tree rings are helping researchers better understand the story of the Huns.

Hakenbeck says that climate can lead people to make decisions that affect their economy and political organization.

The consequences of such decisions are not straightforwardly rational.

The history shows that people respond to climate stress in unpredictable ways and that short-term solutions can have negative consequences.

The study was published in a journal.