Dirt
Subtitle: The Erosion of Civilizations
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: May 14, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 295
ISBN-13: 9780520248700
Subjects: Anthropology; Nature; History - General History; Nature/Ecology; Earth Sciences - Geology; Ecology; World - General; Nature / General; Environmental Conservation & Protection - General; History; Soil erosion; Soil science; Soils
Description: Dirt, soil, call it what you want--it is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. In this natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern environmental calamities, earth scientist Montgomery explores the idea that we are--and have long been--using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over time to limit the lifespan of civilizations. Montgomery traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, Native American civilizations, European colonialism, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped history--as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt, leaving a legacy of impoverished lands.--From publisher description.