Pan's Travail: Environmental Problems of the Ancient Greeks and Romans (Ancient Society and History) - Tapa dura

"A significant contribution to understanding the relationship between Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean Basin and its contemporary natural environment during the period from 800 B.C. to 600 A.D... Worthwhile and thought-provoking reading." -- Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"This backward glance at glorious civilizations -- now vanished, in part, because they neglected the long-term limits of their growth -- should serve as an object lesson to those who argue that goodwill and technical ingenuity alone can sustain societies indefinitely." -- Sciences

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.

"A book on green issues is something new and Pan's Travails, moreover, is a compelling recital of man's mistreatment of the Mediterranean environment." -- Greece and Rome

"Inclusive, accessible, and a valuable contribution to our understanding of the ancient environment." -- Donald Engels, University of Arkansas