CLAS 342. People and Environment in the Ancient World

The environmental history of the ancient Mediterranean through archaeological and art historical remains. The humanistic and material approaches to what the ancients built, modified, destroyed, and renewed as they engaged with and manipulated the “natural” world and resources around them. The details of what the Mediterranean environment was, and how the Greeks and Romans viewed their environmental contexts, while also shaping them to their needs and wants. Investigation of the Mediterranean’s environmental diversity and consideration of how the ancient context might be informative for our contemporary challenges with climate change.