Spiders?
Or more likely could it be when the occupants die, instead of someone new moving in they torch the place and start over?
Edit: nevermind, they suggested that further down in the article.
this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2023
72 points (97.4% liked)
History
4301 readers
243 users here now
Welcome to History!
This community is dedicated to sharing and discussing fascinating historical facts from all periods and regions.
Rules:
NOTE WELL: Personal attacks and insults will not be tolerated. Stick to talking about the historical topic at hand in your comments. Insults and personal attacks will get you an immediate ban for a period of time determined by the moderator who bans you.
-
Post about history. Ask a question about the past, share a link to an article about something historical, or talk about something related to history that interests you. Please encourage discussion whenever possible.
-
No memes. No ads. No promos. No spam.
-
No porn.
-
We like facts and reliable sources here. Don't spread misinformation or try to change the historical record.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Yeah, spiders seemed like the obvious answer to me. I would have also accepted centipedes.
Huh. I was expecting they did it to destroy contagion, but that’s not in the article
Interestingly, Japan does this now. They tear down and rebuild wooden houses about every 20 years and concrete every 30. But the cause for Japan is earthquakes which I don't think would apply much here.
Clearly it's insurance fraud
Lice, mites, fleas? we were gross back then.
Heh. "Were."
[…T]hey have discovered evidence of numerous ancient civilizations on the planet, all destroyed by fire, with the collapses occurring about 2,000 years apart. […E]arlier civilizations on Lagash were destroyed by people who went insane during previous [solar] eclipses and, desperate for any light source, started large fires that destroyed cities.
– Extract from the plot summary of “Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightfall_(Asimov_novelette_and_novel)