Part I. The collapse of the Eastern Mediterranean. 1. Presenting the events ; 2. Deconstructing a 'collapse' ; 3. 950-1027--An impending disaster -- Part II. Regional domino effects in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1027-60 AD. 4. The collapse of Iran ; 5. The fall of Baghdad ; 6. A crumbling empire: the Pechenegs and the decimation of Byzantium ; 7. Egypt and its provinces, 1050s-1070s -- Part III. Cities and minorities. 8. Jerusalem and the decline of classical cities ; 9. Water supply, declining cities and deserted villages ; 10. Food crises and accelerated Islamization ; 11. Reflections
Summary
"As a 'Medieval Warm Period' prevailed in Western Europe during the tenth and eleventh centuries, the eastern Mediterranean region, from the Nile to the Oxus, was suffering from a series of climatic disasters which led to the decline of some of the most important civilisations and cultural centres of the time. This provocative study argues that many well-documented but apparently disparate events - such as recurrent drought and famine in Egypt, mass migrations in the steppes of central Asia, and the decline in population in urban centres such as Baghdad and Constantinople - are connected and should be understood within the broad context of climate change. Drawing on a wealth of textual and archaeological evidence, Ronnie Ellenblum explores the impact of climatic and ecological change across the eastern Mediterranean in this period, to offer a new perspective on why this was a turning point in the history of the Islamic world"-- Provided by publisher
