Climate and History: Studies in Past Climates and their Impact on Man

This highly successful book is a collection of twenty papers, specially written by research workers in the many relevant disciplines. First published in 1985, it was the first major survey of both the methodology of climatic reconstruction and the problem of climate/history interactions, and embodies the results of fruitful co-operation between historians, archaeologists and scientists. It discusses: the climatic information obtainable from the study of chemical isotopes, glaciers, pollen remains, tree rings, archaeological materials and documentary sources; the theoretical and methodological problems involved in assessing the impact of climate and climatic change on past societies; and provides a series of case studies arguing for or against the importance of climatic factors in human affairs in specific economic, social and cultural contexts.