The debate that has arisen around the concept of the Anthropocene forms the basis of this book. It investigates certain forms of environmental interrelation and 'ecological' sensitivity in the Graeco-Roman world. The notions of environmental depletion, exploitation and loss of plant species, and the ancients' knowledge of species diversity are the main cores of the research. The aim is to interrogate historical sources and diverse evidence and to analyse political and socioeconomic structures, according to a reading focused on possible antecedents, cultural prodromes, alignments of thought or divergencies, with respect to major modern environmental problems and current ecological conceptualisations. As a result, 'sustainable' behaviour, 'biodiversity' and its practical uses can also be identified in ancient societies. In the context of environmental studies, this contribution is placed from the perspective of a historian of antiquity, with the aim of outlining the forma mentis and praxis of the ancients with respect to specific environmental issues. Ancient civilizations always provided ad hoc solutions for specific emergencies, but never developed a comprehensive ecological culture of environmental protection as in modernity.

Lively and accessible account of the relationship between man and nature in Graeco-Roman antiquity. Describes the ways in which the Greeks and Romans intervened in the environment and thus traces the history of tension between the exploitation of resources and the protection of nature.

The debate that has arisen around the concept of the Anthropocene forms the basis of this book. It investigates certain forms of environmental interrelation and 'ecological' sensitivity in the Graeco-Roman world. The notions of environmental depletion, exploitation and loss of plant species, and the ancients' knowledge of species diversity are the main cores of the research. The aim is to interrogate historical sources and diverse evidence and to analyse political and socioeconomic structures, according to a reading focused on possible antecedents, cultural prodromes, alignments of thought or divergencies, with respect to major modern environmental problems and current ecological conceptualisations. As a result, 'sustainable' behaviour, 'biodiversity' and its practical uses can also be identified in ancient societies. In the context of environmental studies, this contribution is placed from the perspective of a historian of antiquity, with the aim of outlining the forma mentis and praxis of the ancients with respect to specific environmental issues. Ancient civilizations always provided ad hoc solutions for specific emergencies, but never developed a comprehensive ecological culture of environmental protection as in modernity.

How did ancient societies change the environment and how do their actions continue to affect us today? In this dramatically revised and expanded second edition of the work entitled Pan’s Travail, J. Donald Hughes examines the environmental history of the classical period and argues that the decline of ancient civilizations resulted in part from their exploitation of the natural world. Focusing on Greece and Rome, as well as areas subject to their influences, Hughes offers a detailed look at the impact of humans and their technologies on the ecology of the Mediterranean basin. Evidence of deforestation in ancient Greece, the remains of Roman aqueducts and mines, and paintings on centuries-old pottery that depict agricultural activities document ancient actions that resulted in detrimental consequences to the environment. Hughes compares the ancient world's environmental problems to other persistent social problems and discusses attitudes toward nature expressed in Greek and Latin literature. In addition to extensive revisions based on the latest research, this new edition includes photographs from Hughes's worldwide excursions, a new chapter on warfare and the environment, and an updated bibliography.

This book explores how the Graeco-Roman world suffered from major power conflicts, imperial ambition, and ethnic, religious and racist strife.

The book investigates forms of environmental interaction and the 'ecological' sensitivity within the Graeco-Roman world. It also highlights 'sustainable' practices, knowledge about 'species diversity' and their practical relevance in those social cu

Although reasoned discourse on human-animal relations is often considered a late twentieth-century phenomenon, ethical debate over animals and how humans should treat them can be traced back to the philosophers and literati of the classical world. From Stoic assertions that humans owe nothing to animals that are intellectually foreign to them, to Plutarch's impassioned arguments for animals as sentient and rational beings, it is clear that modern debate owes much to Greco-Roman thought. Animals in Greek and Roman Thought brings together new translations of classical passages which contributed to ancient debate on the nature of animals and their relationship to human beings. The selections chosen come primarily from philosophical and natural historical works, as well as religious, poetic and biographical works. The questions discussed include: Do animals differ from humans intellectually? Were animals created for the use of humankind? Should animals be used for food, sport, or sacrifice? Can animals be our friends? The selections are arranged thematically and, within themes, chronologically. A commentary precedes each excerpt, transliterations of Greek and Latin technical terms are provided, and each entry includes bibliographic suggestions for further reading.

In Pan's Travail, J. Donald Hughes examines the environmental history of the classical period and argues that the decline of ancient civilizations resulted in part from exploitation of the natural world. Focusing on Greece and Rome, as well as areas subject to their influences, Hughes offers a detailed look at the impact of humans and their technologies on the ecology of the Mediterranean basin. He also compares the ancient world's environmental problems to those of other eras and discusses attitudes toward nature expressed in Greek and Latin literature.

The Routledge Handbook of Identity and the Environment in the Classical and Medieval Worlds explores how environment was thought to shape ethnicity and identity, discussing developments in early natural philosophy and historical ethnographies. Defining ‘environment’ broadly to include not only physical but also cultural environments, natural and constructed, the volume considers the multifarious ways in which environment was understood to shape the culture and physical characteristics of peoples, as well as how the ancients manipulated their environments to achieve a desired identity. This diverse collection includes studies not only of the Greco-Roman world, but also ancient China and the European, Jewish and Arab inheritors and transmitters of classical thought. In recent years, work in this subject has been confined mostly to the discussion of texts that reflect an approach to the barbarian as ‘other’. The Routledge Handbook of Identity and the Environment in the Classical and Medieval Worlds takes the discussion of ethnicity on a fresh course, contextualising the concept of the barbarian within rational discourses such as cartography, medicine, and mathematical sciences, an approach that allows us to more clearly discern the varied and nuanced approaches to ethnic identity which abounded in antiquity. The innovative and thought-provoking material in this volume realises new directions in the study of identity in the Classical and Medieval worlds.

A collection of articles published previously.