Contents
Introduction: THE ITCH TO CIVILIZE
The Mask And Apollo: Recent Definitions And Approaches
Reaching Between Civilizations—And Reaching For The Unity Of Civilization
PART ONE: THE WASTE LAND
Desert, Tundra, IceBeyond The Gates of Gog: The Savage North
Campanions Of The Seal Bladders: Deference To Nature In Arctic America
Better Than Civilization: The Inuit In Competition With Europeans
Chapter Two: THE DEATH OF EARTH
Learning from Hohokam: How To Build Civilization In The Desert
The Lakes Of Worms: The Limits Of Civilization InThe Sahara
Lands Of Unrest: Desert Highways Between Civilizations
Spirits Of The Slippery Hills: Bushmen And Civilization
PART TWO: LEAVES OF GRASS
Barely Cultivable GrasslandsChapter Three: THE SWEEPINGS OF THE WIND
Chapter Four: THE HIGHWAY OF CIVILIZATIONS
A Confucian Contemplates The Wild
The Making Of Mongol Imperialism
The Mongol Roads: Causeways Of Civilization
PART THREE: UNDER THE RAIN
Civilization in Tropical Lowlands and Postglacial ForestsThe Fear Of Trees: Learning To Clear The Forests
The Great Wet: Early Civilizations Of The North American Woodlands
The Longhouse Of Elm: Civilization By The Evergreen Frontier
Riding The Lumber Raft: Europe After The Forest
The Retreat Of The Trees: From Forests To Cities In Twelfth-Century Europe
Chapter Six: HEARTS OF DARKNESS
The Habitable Hell: Cultivating The Swamp
Amazon Lands: The Challenge Of The Rain Forest
The Tongue In The Stones: The Lowland Maya
The Beloved Of The Snake: Khmer Civilization On The Mekong
PART FOUR : THE SHINING FIELDS OF MUD
Alluvial Soils in Drying ClimatesChapter Seven: THE LONE AND LEVEL SANDS
The Yielding Soil: Early Intensifiers Of Agriculture
The Garden Of The Lord: Alluvial Archetypes
Back From Diffusion: The Great River Valleys
Out Of The Underworld: The Gift Of The Nile
Chapter Eight: OF SHOES AND RICE
Seals In The Sand: Lost Cities Of The Indus And The Origins Of India
Millet And Rice, River And River: The Making Of China
The Checklist Of Shang Civilization
The Phoenix Of The East: The Survival Of China
Expansion Without Mutation: The Chinese Grossraum
PART FIVE : THE MIRRORS OF SKY
Civilizing HighlandsChapter Nine: THE GARDENS OF THE CLOUDS
Altitude And Isolation: Classifying Highland Civilizations
Ascent ToTiahuanaco: Predecessors Of The Inca
Places For The Gods: The Context Of The Aztecs
Contrasting Worlds: The Aztecs And Inca Juxtaposed
The Vengeance Of The Tribute-Bearers: Environment And Empire
Chapter Ten: THE CLIMB TO PARADISE
The Mountains Of Rasselas: Civilization In Ethiopia
High Roads Of Civilization: Overlooking Asian Trade Routes
PART SIX : THE WATER MARGINS
Civilizations Shaped by the SeaChapter Eleven: THE ALLOTMENTS OF THE GODS
The Tangle Of Isles: Polynesian Navigation
Surviving Isolation: Hawaii And Easter Island
The Wind's Nest: The Islands Of The Aleut
Ports Of Call: From The Maldives To Malta
The Wreck Of Paradise: Minoan Crete
The Creature Of The Lagoon: Venice As A Small-Island Civilization
Chapter Twelve: THE VIEW FROM THE SHORE
The Sea People: Adapting To The Waves
The Narrow Shores: Phoenicia And Scandinavia
The Frustrations Of Rimland: The Early Phase
An Equilibrium Of Mud And Water: Coaxing Civilization From The Shoals
Beyond The Beach: Identifying Sea Board Civilizations
Chapter Thirteen: CHASING THE MONSOON
Riders Of The Typhoon: Maritime Japan
Caravans Of The Monsoon: The Arabs And Their Seas
The Ring Of The Snake: The Seas Of Southeast Asia
The Seas Of Milk And Butter: Maritime India
China's Frontier To The Sea: Fukien
Chapter Fourteen: THE TRADITION OF ULYSSES
The Plow And The Prow: A Conversation With Hesiod
The Pursuit Of Galatea: Greece Takes To The Sea
The Claim Of Poseidon: Athens And The Sea
A Hellenic Cruise: Five Wonders Of Antiquity
Around The Middle Sea: Ancient Rome As A Seaboard Civilization
The Reach Of The Classics: The Global Spread Of The Greek And Roman Legacies
PART SEVEN : BREAKING THE WAVES
The Domestication of the OceansChapter Fifteen: ALMOST THE LAST ENVIRONMENT
The Precocity Of The Indian Ocean
From The Indian Ocean To The Atlantic: The Shadow Of Vasco da Gama
The Round Trip Of Vasco da Gama
Chapter Sixteen: REFLOATING ATLANTIS
The Origins Of The European Atlantic
Atlantic Civilization In Black And White: The Imperial Phase
Chapter Seventeen: THE ATLANTIC AND AFTER
Crises And Renewals Of Atlantic Civilization
The Limits And Limitations Of Western Civilization