What are some examples of ancient civilizations or tribes behaving in unsustainable or ecologically unfriendly ways?

by Diablaux
indicateusrecessions

This isn't necessarily a prehistoric society, but here's something that gets to the core of your comment. The Ecological Indian is a fairly controversial book that examines numerous examples of how Native Americans hunted or interacted with the environment in ways that are not in line with the idea that Native Americans always operated sustainably. Examples that I remember include buffalo hunts that would drive huge numbers of buffalo over cliffs, so many that most of their carcasses were left to decay. Another chapter deals with fire. If I remember correctly, that chapter states that Native Americans could not always control their burns of the land, and that sometimes burning got out of control or seemed reckless, in excess of what was needed to achieve the various goals of controlled burning. Again, it is fairly controversial how we interpret these facts, but on face they are examples of what you're asking about.

A more distant example may be the mass extinction of megafauna, possibly due to hunting at the end of the Pleistocene period. Some theorize that in addition to pressures from ecological changes, humans contributed to the extinction of numerous large mammals through overhunting, in what is sometimes called the "Overkill Hypothesis." This period, when many North American animals in particular become extinct, coincides with human extensification, the spreading of the geographic range where humans can be found.

I'm sure others can elaborate on both of these points, and bring up many other examples--These are just two that come to mind from my schooling.

gingerkid1234

Sorry, we don't allow throughout history questions.