Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World

by Steven Mithen

Steven Mithen's unique history of water and society in the ancient world has never been told before and is particularly relevant today in the face of global climate change.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Science, History Of Science

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Steven Mithen is Professor of Early Prehistory at the University of Reading, having previously served as Pro Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor. He received a BA in prehistory and archaeology from Sheffield University, a MSc degree in biological computation from York University and a PhD in archaeology from Cambridge University.

Reviews

[Brock Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirst: is a useful introduction to how the harvesting and control of water resources have dramatically affected world history and the rise and fall of cultures.

Each culture surveyed appears in its own chapter, allowing easy location of a particular people of interest.

I believe the main fault of the book lies in its brevity. Each of the chapters could be fleshed out in greater detail, increasing its usefulness.

[Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 estrellas.

De alguna manera me dejó un poco insatisfecho. Curiosamente lo sentí medio seco, pero puede deberse a que esperaba otro estilo de escritura y un tipo más variado o colorido de información.
Bien referenciado. Útiles imágenes y fotos, aunque de baja resolución.

[Homero · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspiring, well-written, thought provoking book. Interesting to read about how water has shaped political turmoils and civilisations in the past

[bibliotekker Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book in which archaeologist Mithen looks closely at several of the most accomplished hydraulic cultures of the past as a way of pointing out there is still much to learn from them.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Steven Mithen examines the history of water management in the ancient Levant, Sumer, Greece, Petra, Rome, Constantinople, China, Angkor, the Hohokam, Mayan civilization, and the Incas. His aim is to determine what present societies can learn from the past by examining how past societies and ancient civilizations have been affected by climate change and how they managed their water supplies and developed hydraulic engineering to do this.

The book is fairly interesting, providing a brief overview of the various civilizations' rise and fall, as well as their water management methods. However, it could have been so much better if the author had included more technical or in-depth discussions of the engineering feats with cross-sectional diagrams etc. The book does include maps, photos and schematic diagrams, but doesn't illustrate in enough detail how the various engineering efforts functioned. It would also have been interesting if the author had included water management methods from Africa (besides Egypt)and Australia, assuming there are any, of course.

For anyone interested in Mayan engineering, I recommend https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[!Tæmbuŝu]

KOBOBOOKS

Reviewed by The Guardian (6 Sep 2013)

[Sam Worby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Steve Mithen's books usually. I found this interesting but dry and disappointing in comparison to his other books.

[Mills College Library]

333.91009 M6841 2012