Water Histories and Spatial Archaeology

Ancient Yemen and the American West

Michael J. Harrower (The Johns Hopkins University)

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English

Cambridge University Press
05 December 2019

Archaeological theory; Landscape archaeology; Environmental archaeology; Drought & water supply

This book offers a new interpretation of the spatial-political-environmental dynamics of water and irrigation in long-term histories of arid regions. It compares ancient Southwest Arabia (3500 BC–AD 600) with the American West (2000 BC–AD 1950) in global context to illustrate similarities and differences among environmental, cultural, political, and religious dynamics of water. It combines archaeological exploration and field studies of farming in Yemen with social theory and spatial technologies, including satellite imagery, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping. In both ancient Yemen and the American West, agricultural production focused not where rain-fed agriculture was possible, but in hyper-arid areas where massive state-constructed irrigation schemes politically and ideologically validated state sovereignty. While shaped by profound differences and contingencies, ancient Yemen and the American West are mutually informative in clarifying human geographies of water that are important to understandings of America, Arabia, and contemporary conflicts between civilizations deemed East and West.

By: Michael J. Harrower (The Johns Hopkins University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 230mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 430g
ISBN: 9781316500682
ISBN 10: 1316500683
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 05 December 2019
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction: comparing water histories of America and Arabia; 2. Comparison and juxtaposition in archaeology: water, agriculture and state formation in space and time; 3. Water histories of ancient Yemen in global comparative perspective; 4. Pastoralism, water and the beginning of agriculture in Southwest Arabia; 5. Water histories of Southwest Arabian kingdoms (and the American West); 6. Conclusion: water histories, comparison, geopolitics and spatial archaeology.

Michael J. Harrower is Assistant Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at The Johns Hopkins University and has over fifteen years of archaeological experience exploring the remote desert highlands of Ethiopia, Jordan, Yemen and Oman. He is a leading-expert in spatial technologies, and is co-editor, with Douglas C. Comer, of Mapping Archaeological Landscapes from Space (2013).

Reviews for Water Histories and Spatial Archaeology: Ancient Yemen and the American West

'... the author makes a compelling case for the relevance of his choice with regard to 'human geographies of water' ... The reader interested in irrigation and water resource use in Yemen, especially for the pre-Islamic period, will not be disappointed by this work.' Daniel Martin Varisco, Review of Middle East Studies '... an important contribution to new water theory, which is relevant for many geographic areas and time periods. ... theoretically rich work ...' Journal of Near Eastern Studies 'This book addresses the long-term environmental as well as economic history of the Yemen case study and contextualizes it within the wider discipline. Archaeohydrology as a discipline benefits from the approach taken in this book.' American Anthropologist