Water, life and civilisation
Subtitle: climate, environment and society in the Jordan Valley
By: edited by Steven Mithen and Emily Black
Series: International hydrology series; International hydrology series
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 490
ISBN-13: 9780521769570
Subjects: Climate and civilization; Water-supply; Hydrology; Water and civilization; Antiquities; History
Description: "A unique interdisciplinary study of the relationships between climate, hydrology and human society from 20,000 years ago to the present day within the Jordan Valley. It describes how state-of-the-art models can simulate the past, present and future climates of the Near East, reviews and provides new evidence for environmental change from geological deposits, builds hydrological models for the River Jordan and associated wadis and explains how present day urban and rural communities manage their water supply. The volume provides a new approach and new methods that can be applied for exploring the relationships between climate, hydrology and human society in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the world. It is an invaluable reference for researchers and advanced students concerned with the impacts of climate change and hydrology on human society, especially in the Near East"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Water-management at Humayma, southern Jordan, 100 BC-900 AD; Part V. Palaeo-Economies and Developing Archaeological Methodologies: 20. The reconstruction of diet and environment in ancient Jordan by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human and animal remains; 21. Irrigation and phytolith formation: an experimental study; 22. An investigation into the archaeological application of carbon stable isotope analysis used to establish crop water availability: solutions and ways forward; 23. Past plant use in Jordan as revealed by archaeological and ethnoarchaeological phytolith signatures; Part VI. Society, Economy and Water Today: 24. Current water demands and future strategies under changing climatic conditions; 25. Water reuse for irrigated agriculture in Jordan: soil sustainability, perceptions and management; 26. Social equity issues and water supply under conditions of 'water stress': a study of low- and high-income households in Greater Amman, Jordan; 27. The role of water and land management policies in contemporary socio-economic development in Wadi Faynan; 28. Political discourses and public narratives on water supply issues in Amman, Jordan; Part VII. Conclusions: 29. Overview and reflections: 20,000 years of water and human settlement in the southern Levant; Index.