Gondor may not have been in a strong enough position to reoccupy the territory. Superstitious dread might have kept the Dunlendings from moving into the interior of Eriador. The Fell Winter of 2911 and the subsequent floods that ruined Tharbad and devastated the regions of Minhiriath and Enedwaith.The downfall of the North-kingdoms and the rise of Agmar.Several things contributed to the low population of Eriador: I recently started yet another re-read of LotR, and was struck by the descriptions of old ruins on top of hills. One thing that always bothered me about the first treatment of Eriador (in Rivendell) was that it was so.empty.
