An Environmental History of Ancient Greece and Rome (Key Themes in Ancient History (Paperback))
Cambridge University Press
Edition: REV English ed., 3/8/2012
EAN 9780521174657, ISBN10: 0521174651
Paperback, 198 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm
Language: English
In ancient Greece and Rome an ambiguous relationship developed between man and nature, and this decisively determined the manner in which they treated the environment. On the one hand, nature was conceived as a space characterized and inhabited by divine powers, which deserved appropriate respect. On the other, a rationalist view emerged, according to which humans were to subdue nature using their technologies and to dispose of its resources. This book systematically describes the ways in which the Greeks and Romans intervened in the environment and thus traces the history of the tension between the exploitation of resources and the protection of nature, from early Greece to the period of late antiquity. At the same time it analyses the comprehensive opening up of the Mediterranean and the northern frontier regions, both for settlement and for economic activity. The book's level and approach make it highly accessible to students and non-specialists.
Introduction
Part I. Greece
1. The geographic space
2. People and nature
3. Agriculture
4. Forests and timber
5. Gardens
6. Animals
7. Food
8. Fire and water
9. Earthquakes and volcanoes
10. Mining
Part II. Rome
11. The geographic space
12. People and nature
13. Agriculture
14. Forests and timber
15. Gardens
16. Animals
17. Food
18. Fire and water
19. Earthquakes and volcanoes
20. Mining
21. Urban problems and rural villa construction
22. The environment in Roman Britain
Conclusion.