Archaeologists have concluded that a newly discovered ancient settlement was abandoned due to drought. Analysis of tree rings from the period shows significantly reduced rainfall for a fifteen-year period coinciding with the site's abandonment. The settlement's location in an arid region would have made it particularly vulnerable to water shortage. Wells excavated at the site show signs of having run dry, and the final occupation layers contain no evidence of crops or food storage. Other settlements in the region that had access to rivers continued to be inhabited, whilst those dependent on rainfall were abandoned during the same period. The pattern strongly suggests that climate change made the settlement uninhabitable.