The Collapse of the Eastern Mediterranean

Synopsis

As a 'Medieval Warm Period' prevailed in Western Europe during the tenth and eleventh centuries, the eastern Mediterranean region, from the Nile to the Oxus, was suffering from a series of climatic disasters which led to the decline of some of the most important civilisations and cultural centres of the time. This provocative study argues that many well-documented but apparently disparate events – such as recurrent drought and famine in Egypt, mass migrations in the steppes of central Asia, and the decline in population in urban centres such as Baghdad and Constantinople – are connected and should be understood within the broad context of climate change. Drawing on a wealth of textual and archaeological evidence, Ronnie Ellenblum explores the impact of climatic and ecological change across the eastern Mediterranean in this period, to offer a new perspective on why this was a turning point in the history of the Islamic world.

Copyright:

2012

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781139564618

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

Date of Addition:

11/23/12

Copyrighted By:

Ronnie Ellenblum

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Outdoors and Nature, Earth Sciences, Sociology

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.