Climate and Culture Change in North America AD 900–1600

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Meteorology, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies
Cover of the book Climate and Culture Change in North America AD 900–1600 by William C. Foster, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William C. Foster ISBN: 9780292742703
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: May 15, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: William C. Foster
ISBN: 9780292742703
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: May 15, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

Climate change is today’s news, but it isn’t a new phenomenon. Centuries-long cycles of heating and cooling are well documented for Europe and the North Atlantic. These variations in climate, including the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), AD 900 to 1300, and the early centuries of the Little Ice Age (LIA), AD 1300 to 1600, had a substantial impact on the cultural history of Europe. In this pathfinding volume, William C. Foster marshals extensive evidence that the heating and cooling of the MWP and LIA also occurred in North America and significantly affected the cultural history of Native peoples of the American Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast.

Correlating climate change data with studies of archaeological sites across the Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast, Foster presents the first comprehensive overview of how Native American societies responded to climate variations over seven centuries. He describes how, as in Europe, the MWP ushered in a cultural renaissance, during which population levels surged and Native peoples substantially intensified agriculture, constructed monumental architecture, and produced sophisticated works of art. Foster follows the rise of three dominant cultural centers—Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Cahokia on the middle Mississippi River, and Casas Grandes in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico—that reached population levels comparable to those of London and Paris. Then he shows how the LIA reversed the gains of the MWP as population levels and agricultural production sharply declined; Chaco Canyon, Cahokia, and Casas Grandes collapsed; and dozens of smaller villages also collapsed or became fortresses.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Climate change is today’s news, but it isn’t a new phenomenon. Centuries-long cycles of heating and cooling are well documented for Europe and the North Atlantic. These variations in climate, including the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), AD 900 to 1300, and the early centuries of the Little Ice Age (LIA), AD 1300 to 1600, had a substantial impact on the cultural history of Europe. In this pathfinding volume, William C. Foster marshals extensive evidence that the heating and cooling of the MWP and LIA also occurred in North America and significantly affected the cultural history of Native peoples of the American Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast.

Correlating climate change data with studies of archaeological sites across the Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast, Foster presents the first comprehensive overview of how Native American societies responded to climate variations over seven centuries. He describes how, as in Europe, the MWP ushered in a cultural renaissance, during which population levels surged and Native peoples substantially intensified agriculture, constructed monumental architecture, and produced sophisticated works of art. Foster follows the rise of three dominant cultural centers—Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Cahokia on the middle Mississippi River, and Casas Grandes in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico—that reached population levels comparable to those of London and Paris. Then he shows how the LIA reversed the gains of the MWP as population levels and agricultural production sharply declined; Chaco Canyon, Cahokia, and Casas Grandes collapsed; and dozens of smaller villages also collapsed or became fortresses.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Viva Cristo Rey! by William C. Foster
Cover of the book No More Silence by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Celluloid Vampires by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Inherit the Alamo by William C. Foster
Cover of the book The Men of Cajamarca by William C. Foster
Cover of the book American Architects and the Mechanics of Fame by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Reading Palestine by William C. Foster
Cover of the book The Cult Film Experience by William C. Foster
Cover of the book The House Will Come To Order by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Behind the Walls by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Digital Ethnography by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Aztecs, Moors, and Christians by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Science and Ceremony by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Barbarous Mexico by William C. Foster
Cover of the book Kiowa Ethnogeography by William C. Foster
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy