Hurricanes as Agents of Cultural Change Integrating Paleotempestology and the Archaeological Record

Hurricanes are major meteorological events with significant impacts in tropical and extra-tropical regions worldwide. Despite this, little research has been undertaken on the effects of hurricanes and other intense storms on pre-industrial societies. New evidence from the field of paleotempestology-the study of past hurricane activity using geological proxy techniques, such as lagoon sediments and speleothems-is shedding light on how hurricanes varied over the Holocene in terms of frequency, geographic distribution, and magnitude. This information, in conjunction with archaeological data from coastal locations, provides a means to better understand human adaptation and resilience in the face of abrupt, high-magnitude climatic events. This chapter highlights three examples where paleotempestology has been (or could be) important at helping us understand past societal responses to hurricane activity: (1) the case of the destruction of the fleets of the Kublai Khan in medieval Japan, (2) the possible effect of hurricanes during the Terminal Maya collapse, and (3) proactive hurricane adaptation strategies at a Taino site in northern Cuba. These examples show that human responses to hurricane events have varied considerably and highlight ways paleotempestology can be better integrated with archaeological data.