Challenging Climate Change: Competition and Co-Operation Among Pastoralists and Agriculturalists in Northern Mesopotamia (C.3000-1600 Bc) - Softcover

Wossink, Arne

 
9789088900310: Challenging Climate Change: Competition and Co-Operation Among Pastoralists and Agriculturalists in Northern Mesopotamia (C.3000-1600 Bc)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 9088900310 ISBN 13: 9789088900310
Publisher: Sidestone Press, 2009

Synopsis

Throughout history, climate change has been an important driving force behind human behaviour. This archaeological study seeks to understand the complex interrelations between that behaviour and climatic fluctuations, focussing on how climate affected the social relations between neighbouring communities of occasionally differing nature. It is argued that developments in these relations will fall within a continuum between competition on one end and cooperation on the other. The adoption of a particular strategy depends on whether that strategy is advantageous to a community in terms of the maintenance of its well-being when faced with adverse climate change. This model will be applied to northern Mesopotamia between 3000 and 1600 bc. Local palaeoclimate proxy records demonstrate that aridity increased significantly during this period. Within this geographical, chronological, and climatic framework, this study looks at changes in settlement patterns as an indication of competition among sedentary agriculturalist communities, and the development of the Amorite ethnic identity as reflecting cooperation among sedentary and more mobile pastoralist communities.

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From the Back Cover

Throughout history, climate change has been an important driving force behind human behaviour. This archaeological study seeks to understand the complex interrelations between that behaviour and climatic fluctuations, focussing on how climate affected the social relations between neighbouring communities of occasionally differing nature. It is argued that developments in these relations will fall within a continuum between competition on one end and cooperation on the other. The adoption of a particular strategy depends on whether that strategy is advantageous to a community in terms of the maintenance of its well-being when faced with adverse climate change.

This model will be applied to northern Mesopotamia between 3000 and 1600 bc. Local palaeoclimate proxy records demonstrate that aridity increased significantly during this period. Within this geographical, chronological, and climatic framework, this study looks at changes in settlement patterns as an indication of competition among sedentary agriculturalist communities, and the development of the Amorite ethnic identity as reflecting cooperation among sedentary and more mobile pastoralist communities.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Sidestone Press
Publication date
2009
Language
English
ISBN 10 
9088900310
ISBN 13 
9789088900310
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
200