536 CE: The Year the Sun Dimmed and Empires Suffered
Harvard researchers, led by archaeologist Michael McCormick, argue 536 CE may be the worst year in history: a dust cloud from volcanic eruptions blocked sunlight for 18 months, plunging much of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia into darkness, causing global cooling and famine, with later eruptions in 540 and 547 deepening the crisis and the Byzantine Empire suffering amid plague and economic strain.
