Description
How Climate Variability Shaped Human Civilization
The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization by Brian Fagan examines the profound relationship between climate change and the development of human societies. This comprehensive work reveals how the Holocene warm period, beginning 15,000 years ago, created the conditions for all of recorded history and modern civilization.
Understanding the Holocene Climate Record
For over a century, scientists recognized that human evolution occurred during an Ice Age. As temperatures rose and glaciers receded, sea levels increased, creating new environmental conditions. This warm period, known as the Holocene, witnessed the rise of agriculture, cities, and complex societies. Until recently, detailed climate records from this period remained elusive. Fagan presents the newly available climate data, offering unprecedented insights into how temperature fluctuations influenced human development.
Climate as a Historical Force
This engrossing analysis demonstrates how climate functioned as what historian Paul Kennedy termed one of the "deeper transformations" of history. Fagan argues that climate variability played a more significant role in shaping civilizations than previously understood. The book connects environmental changes to major historical transitions, providing a framework for understanding human adaptation and societal collapse.
About the Author
Brian Fagan is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. A former Guggenheim Fellow, he has written many internationally acclaimed popular books about archaeology, including The Little Ice Age, The Great Warming, and The Long Summer. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Essential Reading for Students and Educators
This paperback edition serves as a valuable resource for students and teachers exploring anthropology, archaeology, environmental science, and climate history. Fagan's accessible writing style makes complex scientific concepts understandable for general readers while maintaining academic rigor. The book bridges multiple disciplines, from earth sciences to meteorology and climatology, making it suitable for diverse educational contexts.
Key Topics Covered
The book examines the transition from Ice Age conditions to the Holocene warm period, the relationship between climate and human civilization, detailed climate records from the past 15,000 years, and the impact of environmental changes on historical societies. Readers gain insight into how temperature variations, sea level changes, and glacial movements influenced human settlement patterns, agricultural development, and the rise and fall of civilizations.
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