Description
Book SynopsisIn addition to extensive revisions based on the latest research, this new edition includes photographs from Hughes's worldwide excursions, a new chapter on warfare and the environment, and an updated bibliography.
Trade ReviewHughes considers serially all the ways in which the ancients influenced their environment. He describes each aspect thoroughly, using ancient literature, archaeology, and ecological evidence to paint a picture of degeneration through overuse and lack of attention to consequences... The author's personal recollections enliven the text, and a comprehensive bibliography provides entrance to further research. Choice Hughes deserves great praise for updating a valuable overview of the problems ancient Greeks and Romans caused and faced within the natural environment of the Mediterranean basin. His work gives the undergraduate or non-specialist in particular a new view of the ancient world that will enrich her or his understanding of classical antiquity. -- Danielle M. La Londe Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Table of ContentsPreface
1. Introduction: Ecology in the Greek and Roman World
2. The Environment: Life, Land, and Sea in the Mediterranean
3. Ecological Crises in Earlier Societies
4. Concepts of the Natural World
5. Deforestation, Overgrazing, and Erosion
6. Wildlife Depletion and Loss of Habitat
7. Agricultural Decline
8. Industrial Technology and Environmental Damage
9. War and the Environment
10. Urban Problems
11. Paradises and Parks, Gardens and Groves
12. Natural Disasters
13. Changing Climates
14. Environmental Problems as Factors in the Decline of Greek and Roman Civilization
Notes
Bibliography
Index
