Archaeologists unearthed the remains of
someone, likely a woman, who appears to have
succumbed to smoke inhalation as she tried to
dig an escape tunnel under a wall. Skeletons of
women, children, and elders were found togeth-
er, face down in the mud, suggesting that they
were captured and killed.
Knecht sees a link between the destruction at
the site and the old tales that modern Yup’iks
remember. Oral tradition preserves memories of
a time historians call the Bow and Arrow Wars
Days, when Yup’ik communities fought one an-
other in bloody battles some time before Russian
explorers arrived in Alaska in the 1700s. Nunal-
leq offers the first archaeological evidence, and
the first firm date, for this frightful period, which
affected several generations of Yup’ik.COLDER CLIMATES
LASTING FOR CENTURIES, the so-called Little Ice
Age was a period of colder temperatures, mainly
experienced in the Northern Hemisphere. It began
in the 1300s when temperatures around the world
dropped, and glaciers grew. The initial changes
were gradual, with a steep decline following in the
late 1500s. Climates cooled by more than three
degrees Fahrenheit (roughly two degrees Celsius).
Major bodies of water, including the Baltic Sea
and London’s River Thames, repeatedly froze over.
From Europe to North America to Asia, growing
seasons were disrupted, leading to food shortages
exacerbated by the colder weather. Archaeologists
believe that the violence at the Nunalleq site was a
result of tensions caused by the climate change.FROST FAIRS WERE HELD
ON THE RIVER THAMES
WHEN IT FROZE SOLID
DURING ENGLAND’S COLDEST
WINTERS. 18TH-CENTURY
ENGRAVING, JAMES STOW
RKIVE/ALAMY
MARK RALSTON/AFP/GETTY IMAGESRETREATING ICE
A 2019 aerial view of the Yup’ik village
of Quinhagak, Alaska, reveals thawing
permafrost and thinning ice. Scientists say
Alaska is warming faster than any other
U.S. state.