In this fascinating in-depth study, Arlene Rosen highlights the unique and varied ways that different societies respond to their changing environments, going against the commonly held notion of simple climatic determinism. Social responses to climate change are the result of human perceptions of nature and their environment. From the Terminal Pleistocene through to the Late Holocene, Rosen describes various communities' responses to climate change, further exploring the intriguing connections between climate and society. A must-read for archaeologists, geographers, students, and historians!

"This groundbreaking book interprets how climate change has played a role in shaping the trajectory of cultures in the eastern Mediterranean, and provides a model for conducting similar studies in other regions of the world. Summing Up: Highly Recommended." - CHOICE, November 2007

"Rosen succeeds in making this very detailed research accessible for those who are not experts in the exact fields of research she reviews...This book can serve well many different publics. Those interested in the history of the Levant will find here an excellent survey of its prewritten and classical history." - H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

"Rosen recognizes the multifarious aspects of studying paleoclimactic events in relation to how societies rise and fall....Rosen's detailed examination of paleoenvironments and social responses are well-documented and executed in a professional manner. A close study of political ecology and ancient empires is presented remarkably well." - Paleoanthropology, September 2008

"This volume is a masterful example of how difficult it is to carry out true interdisciplinary research.... This volume will be of considerable interest to a wide range of scholars and to more general readers interested in the nuances of how climate change affcets, but does not determine, culture.... Her volume is an excellent contribution to both the archaeological and paleoenvironmental literature. Rosen skillfully addresses the nuances between cultural adaptation and climatic change." - Journal of Anthropological Research, 2009, Vol 65

"One of the many strengths of this readable book is the seamless integration of archaeological, historic, and paleoclimatic data to produce a diachronic, anthropological model of climate change. A second strength is the emphasis on human agency in discussing environmental trends. This volume is an important update to the contributions of the founders of anthropological climate studies, Karl Butzer and Fekri Hassan." - Journal of the American Oriental Society, April-June 2008