Using energy consumption as a measure, a team of international scientists has found that ancient civilisations engaged in globalisation more than previously believed, suggesting that an integrated global economy is nothing new and may have benefited societies for ages. This archaeological research is the first of its kind, because instead of focusing on specific regions or cultures, it used radiocarbon dating to examine human societies on a broader and longer-term scale. The researchers found that societies often experienced booms and busts simultaneously, a process known as synchrony. The greater the energy consumption, the more likely a society was booming with population and political and economic activity. The findings suggest that early globalisation was possibly a strategy for societies to grow through migration, trade and conflict with other, distant societies when a society’s carrying capacity began to be overloaded.
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