Climate Change -

This survey of the ancient levels of lakes, rivers and the sea, as well as changes in the compositions of stalagmites and sediments reveals an astonishing correlation of climate changes with the emergence and collapse of civilizations in the Middle East. Each warm period has been characterized by aridization, economic crisis and mass migration, whereas cold periods brought abundant rain, prosperity and settlement in the arid lands. The authors conclude that climate change has been the decisive factor in the history surrounding the origins of the cradle of civilization. TOC:Introduction.- Chapter I: The pendulum of paradigms.- Chapter II: Constructing the jigsaw puzzle of paleo-climates.- Chapter III: The Near East: A bridge from the garden of eden to the fields of toil.- Chapter IV: The great transition - from farming villages to urban centers.- Chapter V: The urban revolution and the dawn of history.- Chapter VI: Dark age, Renaissance, and decay.- Chapter VII: migrations and settlings from the end of the Late Bronze to the Early Iron Age.- Chapter VIII: The Age of Iron and Empires.- Chapter IX: Crusaders, Mamluks, and Ottomans on the eve of the era of Industry.- Chapter X: An epilogue.- Appendix I. Ground water use and the evolution of water exploitation methods as a function of climate changes.- Appendix II. Isotopic tools in paleo-hydrological investigations.- Appendix III. Pastoral Nomadism.- Appendix IV: Middle Eastern Languages.- Appendix V: Egyptian Chronology.