The Science of Roman History: Biology, Climate, and the Future of the Past

Author:   Walter Scheidel
Publisher:   Princeton University Press
ISBN:  

9780691195988


Pages:   280
Publication Date:   15 October 2019
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
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The Science of Roman History: Biology, Climate, and the Future of the Past


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How the latest cutting-edge science offers a fuller picture of life in Rome and antiquity This groundbreaking book provides the first comprehensive look at how the latest advances in the sciences are transforming our understanding of ancient Roman history. Walter Scheidel brings together leading historians, anthropologists, and geneticists at the cutting edge of their fields, who explore novel types of evidence that enable us to reconstruct the realities of life in the Roman world. Contributors discuss climate change and its impact on Roman history, and then cover botanical and animal remains, which cast new light on agricultural and dietary practices. They exploit the rich record of human skeletal material--both bones and teeth-which forms a bio-archive that has preserved vital information about health, nutritional status, diet, disease, working conditions, and migration. Complementing this discussion is an in-depth analysis of trends in human body height, a marker of general well-being. This book also assesses the contribution of genetics to our understanding of the past, demonstrating how ancient DNA is used to track infectious diseases, migration, and the spread of livestock and crops, while the DNA of modern populations helps us reconstruct ancient migrations, especially colonization. Opening a path toward a genuine biohistory of Rome and the wider ancient world, The Science of Roman History offers an accessible introduction to the scientific methods being used in this exciting new area of research, as well as an up-to-date survey of recent findings and a tantalizing glimpse of what the future holds.

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Author:   Walter Scheidel
Publisher:   Princeton University Press
Imprint:   Princeton University Press
ISBN:  

9780691195988


ISBN 10:   0691195986
Pages:   280
Publication Date:   15 October 2019
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

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Reviews

This is a fabulous introduction to a wide range of techniques, and provides numerous fascinating insights into life in the Roman period. ---Hella Eckardt, Current World Archaeology This interdisciplinary book brings together the latest scientific methodologies to better understand the history of Rome and the ancient world. There really isn't another book like this. --Kristina Killgrove, University of West Florida The Science of Roman History is a very timely book. With state-of-the-art contributions by scholars who are leaders in their respective fields, it describes how the integration of natural and human archives is changing the entire historical enterprise. I highly recommend that all historians read this important contribution. --J. G. Manning, author of The Last Pharaohs


"""This is a fabulous introduction to a wide range of techniques, and provides numerous fascinating insights into life in the Roman period.""---Hella Eckardt, Current World Archaeology ""This book shows that the study of the ancient Roman world is no exception to the enormous contribution that science has long been making to our understanding of the ancient past."" * New Testament Abstracts * ""This book makes a superb introduction to the subject.""---Peter Jones, Classics for All Reviews ""[This] is a volume not just useful but capable of simultaneous entertainment and inspiration.""---James Corke Webster, Greece and Rome ""[This] volume is an important contribution not only to the historiography of the Roman Empire but also to the broad spectrum of scientific disciplines attempting to understand the past in general.""---Tomáš Glomb, Journal of Cognitive Historiography ""This volume brings together many of the key players in these various fields. The writing is uniformly excellent and it is sufficiently well illustrated. It represents a good overview of the state of the field and provides a clear explanation of the various techniques and disciplines covered and their potential.""---Ben Russell, Journal of Greek Archaeology ""[The Science of Roman History] captivates the reader with its monumentality and ambition.""---Csaba Szabó, Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology"


[This] volume is an important contribution not only to the historiography of the Roman Empire but also to the broad spectrum of scientific disciplines attempting to understand the past in general. ---Tomas Glomb, Journal of Cognitive Historiography This is a fabulous introduction to a wide range of techniques, and provides numerous fascinating insights into life in the Roman period. ---Hella Eckardt, Current World Archaeology [This] is a volume not just useful but capable of simultaneous entertainment and inspiration. ---James Corke Webster, Greece and Rome This book makes a superb introduction to the subject. ---Peter Jones, Classics for All Reviews This book shows that the study of the ancient Roman world is no exception to the enormous contribution that science has long been making to our understanding of the ancient past. * New Testament Abstracts *


Author Information

Walter Scheidel is the Dickason Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Classics and History, and a Kennedy-Grossman Fellow in Human Biology at Stanford University. He is the author or editor of seventeen previous books, including The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century (Princeton).

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