Research Catalog

Water histories and spatial archaeology : ancient Yemen and the American West

Title
Water histories and spatial archaeology : ancient Yemen and the American West / Michael J. Harrower, Johns Hopkins University.
Author
Harrower, Michael J.
Publication
New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2016.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JFE 16-8809Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
x, 214 pages : illustrations (some color), color maps; 24 cm
Summary
"This book offers a new interpretation of the spatial-political-ecological dynamics of water and irrigation in long-term histories of arid regions. It compares ancient Southwest Arabia (3500 BC-600 AD) with the American West (1800-1950 AD) in a global context to illustrate similarities and differences among environmental, cultural, political, and religious dynamics of water. It combines archaeological exploration and field studies of farming in Yemen with social theory and spatial technologies, including satellite imagery, GPS, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping. In both ancient Yemen and the American West, agricultural production was focused not where rain-fed agriculture was possible, but in hyper-arid areas where massive state-constructed irrigation schemes politically and ideologically validated state sovereignty. While shaped by profound differences and contingencies, ancient Yemen and the American West are mutually informative in clarifying human geographies of water that are important to understandings of America, Arabia, and contemporary conflicts between civilizations deemed East and West"--
Subjects
Genre/Form
History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Introduction: Comparing water histories of America and Arabia -- 2. Comparison and juxtaposition in archaeology : water, agriculture and state formation in space and time -- 3. Water histories of ancient Yemen in global comparative perspective -- 4. Pastoralism, water and the beginning of agriculture in Southwest Arabia -- 5. Water histories of Southwest Arabian kingdoms (and the American West) -- 6. Conclusion: Water histories, comparison, geopolitics and spatial archaeology.
Call Number
JFE 16-8809
ISBN
  • 9781107134652
  • 110713465X
LCCN
2015039554
OCLC
929863214
Author
Harrower, Michael J.
Title
Water histories and spatial archaeology : ancient Yemen and the American West / Michael J. Harrower, Johns Hopkins University.
Publisher
New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Chronological Term
To 1500
Research Call Number
JFE 16-8809
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