The Mediterranean environment in ancient history : perspectives and prospects

Book section

This chapter focuses on energy, climate and climate change, and environmental questions of land use, deforestation, mountains and rivers. It also focuses on historical research on the ancient environment-but we should recall that several important facets of the environment, including the marine environment, pollution, and natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (on which more below) are absent from such treatments. They reflect not only a current interest in mankind’s impact on the natural environment, but also renewed interest, in the face of advances in climate science, in how the environment influences human action, and history. To explore the extent to which past societies might have been able to control and manage their environment, it perhaps useful to review Roman understanding of the hydrological cycle.

Authors: Wilson, A; Wilson, A

• Publisher: E. J. Brill
• Host title: The Ancient Mediterranean Environment between Science and History
• Pages: 259-276
• Series: Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition
• Publication date: 2013-01-01
• DOI: 10.1163/9789004254053_012
• ISSN: 0166-1302
• ISBN: 9789004254053
• Keywords: climate change; Roman archaeology; hydrological cycle; climate history; Mediterranean environment; energy; archaeology; ancient history; deforestation; climate