Icebergs On The Seine

[Leguleius]

"I happened to be in winter quarters at my beloved Lutetia -- for that is how the Celts call the capital of the Parisians. It is a small island lying in the river; a wall entirely surrounds it, and wooden bridges lead to it on both sides. ... As I was saying then, the winter was more severe than usual, and the river kept bringing down blocks like marble. You know, I suppose, the white stone that comes from Phrygia; the blocks of ice were very like it, of great size, and drifted down one after another; in fact it seemed likely that they would make an unbroken path and bridge the stream. The winter then was more inclement than usual..."

From Misopogon by Julian the Apostate/Philosopher c.363

 

Clearly icebergs no longer float down the River Seine through Paris, even in 'inclement' winters, nowadays! What evidence is there for significant climate change in late antiquity and could this have had an effect on the internal and external troubles that the Empire faced in the 4th Century?

 

Tom

[suzhannah]

"I happened to be in winter quarters at my beloved Lutetia -- for that is how the Celts call the capital of the Parisians. It is a small island lying in the river; a wall entirely surrounds it, and wooden bridges lead to it on both sides. ... As I was saying then, the winter was more severe than usual, and the river kept bringing down blocks like marble. You know, I suppose, the white stone that comes from Phrygia; the blocks of ice were very like it, of great size, and drifted down one after another; in fact it seemed likely that they would make an unbroken path and bridge the stream. The winter then was more inclement than usual..."

From Misopogon by Julian the Apostate/Philosopher c.363

 

Clearly icebergs no longer float down the River Seine through Paris, even in 'inclement' winters, nowadays! What evidence is there for significant climate change in late antiquity and could this have had an effect on the internal and external troubles that the Empire faced in the 4th Century?

 

Tom

 

 

you could try reading plinny the elder for more info.

[Neos Dionysos]

"I happened to be in winter quarters at my beloved Lutetia -- for that is how the Celts call the capital of the Parisians. It is a small island lying in the river; a wall entirely surrounds it, and wooden bridges lead to it on both sides. ... As I was saying then, the winter was more severe than usual, and the river kept bringing down blocks like marble. You know, I suppose, the white stone that comes from Phrygia; the blocks of ice were very like it, of great size, and drifted down one after another; in fact it seemed likely that they would make an unbroken path and bridge the stream. The winter then was more inclement than usual..."

From Misopogon by Julian the Apostate/Philosopher c.363

 

Clearly icebergs no longer float down the River Seine through Paris, even in 'inclement' winters, nowadays! What evidence is there for significant climate change in late antiquity and could this have had an effect on the internal and external troubles that the Empire faced in the 4th Century?

 

Tom

 

 

you could try reading plinny the elder for more info.

 

 

It has been put forth that since the earth undergoes a major climate change every 500 or so years, and this caused the massive influx in migrating peoples from the lands beyond Rome's borders and why there were a lot in the Republic and then starting again in the 3rd Century till the end of the 6th...

[Gaius Octavius]

One usually thinks of an 'iceberg' as being large enough to sink the Titanic. I wonder if these were the things Julian saw. White stones from Phrygia into icebergs into climate change into The Fall of the Roman Empire!?

[necromaniac]

I remember Gibbons theorizing that Germania, at the time, was comparable to Northern Canada, temperature-wise. And if I'm not mistaken, I think Tacitus wrote in Germania, that the barb's hunted what we would believe to be reindeer, which are now only in existence in artic and sub-artic areas.

 

On another note, I believe there was a battle fought on the Rhein River, which was frozen over at the time. The Rhein in modern times does not freeze over, which also hints to a colder climate at the time.

[caldrail]

Evidence from ireland suggests that in the 6th century ad spring, summer, and autumn never happened for four years. Cold weather was apparent during the late 18th century too when the river thames froze up for a long period. What about our harsh winters of 1947 and 1961? It happens. The earth is wobbling on its axis so occaisional harsh winters are definitely going to happen, besides the el nino effect, or the usual climatic drift that occurrs over time. Climate does not remain static.