What causes societal collapse?

This subject fascinates me, thanks for posting. There were so many societies that were huge in their time but collapsed, just in the Eastern Hemisphere: Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Ethiopia, Kush, the Spanish Empire, the British Empire; in the Western Hemisphere: the Mound Builders, the Olmecs, Aztecs, Maya, Inca, the United States of Am. And I'm leaving out a bunch, I know.

From what I've read, the cause of the collapses seem to be usually politics and climate.

Now as to the oldest one still in existence today? Now I wonder if we can look at a different definition for "society". If you're talking about a religious society, one of the oldest would be Zoroastrianism; they say it predates even Judaism and there are still practicers of Zoroastrianism in the Middle East today. And there could be pagan religions still practiced today that haven't really changed since the Stone Ages, so one of them might be the oldest religious society.

But getting away from religion and just talking a society in every other sense of the word, maybe the British Empire? I know they're not really an empire anymore but they still have the monarchy going on. So maybe them?

Here's what Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish Tribe, Washington Territory, U.S., 1854, had to say on the subject:
"Tribe follows tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless."

I don't know; what does anybody else think? (This is so fascinating.)
 
new study has revealed that Indigenous Australians are the most ancient continuous civilisation on Earth. First migrating from Africa between 51,000 and 72,000 years ago (earlier than the ancestors of present-day Eurasians), Indigenous Australians have lived in Australia since. Leaving Africa in that period would also make them the first human population to traverse the ocean.
Scientists traced the age and journey of Indigenous Australians and Papuans through DNA markers in modern Australian and Papua New Guinea populations.
While there have been claims that Indigenous Australians were the world's oldest civilisation for some years, the genomic study published in the science journal Nature is the first time extensive DNA evidence has been able to prove it.
The study has revealed that not only did Indigenous Australians first come to Australia some 50,000 years ago, they remained almost entirely isolated on the continent until around 4,000 years ago.

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-most-ancient-civilization-on-earth-is-still-around-today/
 

officerripley said:
This subject fascinates me, thanks for posting. There were so many societies that were huge in their time but collapsed, just in the Eastern Hemisphere: Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Ethiopia, Kush, the Spanish Empire, the British Empire; in the Western Hemisphere: the Mound Builders, the Olmecs, Aztecs, Maya, Inca, the United States of Am. And I'm leaving out a bunch, I know.

Now as to the oldest one still in existence today? Now I wonder if we can look at a different definition for "society". If you're talking about a religious society, one of the oldest would be Zoroastrianism; they say it predates even Judaism and there are still practicers of Zoroastrianism in the Middle East today. And there could be pagan religions till be practiced today that haven't really changed since the Stone Ages, so one of them might be the oldest religious society.

But getting away from religion and just talking a society in every other sense of the word, maybe the British Empire? I know they're not really an empire anymore but they still have the monarchy going on. So maybe them?

I don't know; what does anybody else think? (This is so fascinating.)
Click to expand...
I agree officerripley, and would like to keep it away from religious groups as well, but often times various religious groups are the catalyst for such upheaval.
 
hollydolly said:
new study has revealed that Indigenous Australians are the most ancient continuous civilisation on Earth. First migrating from Africa between 51,000 and 72,000 years ago (earlier than the ancestors of present-day Eurasians), Indigenous Australians have lived in Australia since. Leaving Africa in that period would also make them the first human population to traverse the ocean.
Scientists traced the age and journey of Indigenous Australians and Papuans through DNA markers in modern Australian and Papua New Guinea populations.
While there have been claims that Indigenous Australians were the world's oldest civilisation for some years, the genomic study published in the science journal Nature is the first time extensive DNA evidence has been able to prove it.
The study has revealed that not only did Indigenous Australians first come to Australia some 50,000 years ago, they remained almost entirely isolated on the continent until around 4,000 years ago.

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-most-ancient-civilization-on-earth-is-still-around-today/
Click to expand...
Fascinating - thank you.

I often wonder what the key is to these long lasting societies.
 
hollydolly said:
new study has revealed that Indigenous Australians are the most ancient continuous civilisation on Earth. First migrating from Africa between 51,000 and 72,000 years ago (earlier than the ancestors of present-day Eurasians), Indigenous Australians have lived in Australia since. Leaving Africa in that period would also make them the first human population to traverse the ocean.
Scientists traced the age and journey of Indigenous Australians and Papuans through DNA markers in modern Australian and Papua New Guinea populations.
While there have been claims that Indigenous Australians were the world's oldest civilisation for some years, the genomic study published in the science journal Nature is the first time extensive DNA evidence has been able to prove it.
The study has revealed that not only did Indigenous Australians first come to Australia some 50,000 years ago, they remained almost entirely isolated on the continent until around 4,000 years ago.

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-most-ancient-civilization-on-earth-is-still-around-today/
Click to expand...
Oh, you're right, of course, hollydolly. Don't know how I could forget Australia and Oceania for sure.
 
Mesa Verdi in SW Colorado is a grand example of an advanced civilization that disappeared. A visit there and walk thru the cliff dwellings will leave you with a lot more questions than answers.

I wish I had taken the time to visit some of the Maya, Inca and Aztec sites in Mexico and Central America when I was young enough.
 
I think corruption from within causes the collapse of a society faster than anything. Every empire had it's enemies, but when civil unrest divides a nation that nation becomes easy pickings for others.

I've always admired the British Empire because the Brits are born diplomats and progressive thinkers who are not afraid to share the wealth in an effort to preserve themselves and their monarchy and it has worked every time.

Even the Romans abandoned Britain.
 
Judycat said:
Civil unrest will collapse a society. So will an epidemic. Societies also survive civil unrest and epidemics. China's society is ancient.
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This is why we must stay aware of outsiders trying to cause civil unrest in our own countries. It would serve the purposes of those in the East for Western societies to be weakened by riots and gang warfare. Forget about accusations of racism and xenophobia...the security of our countries must come first.
 
Sometimes adversity makes society stronger when we're all working towards a common good. That's not the case these days, though. A large portion of society wants to do away with our democracy and our Constitution. That's not good.

Add to that, the threat of economic collapse from our enormous debt, and it could be a perfect storm leading to civil war.
 

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