In our 2016 article in Scientific Reports, we advanced a new hypothesis for the Mongol withdrawal from Hungary in 1242 CE, based on a joint analysis of climatic, environmental, and historical data. The re-evaluation now offered by Pinke et al. casts doubt on this hypothesis. However, their arguments are based on a level of generality that fails to appreciate the specific conditions of the Mongol invasion, do not offer new or different climatic data, and are supported by anachronistic production data and environmental information, which cannot be related to the period in question. While we acknowledge the importance of an open debate, we stand by our conclusions.

Department of Geography University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EN UK

Global Change Research Centre and Masaryk University 613 00 Brno Czech Republic

Institute for Advanced Study School of Historical Studies 1 Einstein Dr Princeton NJ 08540 USA

Princeton University Department of East Asian Studies Princeton NJ 08540 USA

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL 8903 Birmensdorf Switzerland

Sci Rep. 2018 May 10;8(1):7611. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25733-w. PubMed

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