The Holocene

Neil Roberts is Professor at the University of Plymouth. His main research interests are in Holocene environmental change, especially the lake sediment record of climate and human impact in low latitude regions such as East Africa and the Mediterranean. His previous books include The Changing Global Environment (Blackwell Publishers, 1994) and Ecological Relations in Historical Times (with Robin Butlin, Blackwell Publishers, 1995).

List of Technical Boxes.Preface to the Second Edition.Acknowledgements.1. Introduction:Sources of Information on Past Environments.Nature and Society.The Significance of the Holocene.2. Reconstructing Holocene Environments:Dating the Past.Historical Dating.Radiometric Dating Methods.Dendrochronology and Radiocarbon Calibration.Other Incremental Dating Methods.Palaeomagnetic Dating.Conclusion.Palaeoecological Techniques.Principles of Pollen Analysis.Pollen, Climate and Human Impact.Plant Macrofossils and Charcoal. Geological Techniques.Stable Isotope Analysis.Geomorphology and Climate.Geo-Archaeology.Models of Environmental Reconstruction.3. The Pleistocene Prelude (>11,500 Cal. yr BP):Ice-Age Environments.The Glacial-Interglacial Cycle.Understanding the Causes of Long-Term Climatic Change.The Last Glacial Maximum and After.The Terminal Pleistocene (16,000-11,5000 Cal. yr BP).The Late-Glacial in the British Isles.Terminal Pleistocene Climatic Oscillation: Global or Regional?Adjustment of Geomorphic Systems.Human Ecology at the End of the Pleistocene.Megafaunal Extinctions.4. Early Holocene Adaptations (11,500-5000 Cal. yr BP):Changes in the Physical Environment.Ice Sheets and Sea Levels.Human Adaptations to Coastal Environments.Lake Ontogeny and Soil Development.The Return of the Forests.Europe. Eastern North America.Dry Mediterranean Woodland.Tropical Forests.Factors Affecting Forest Re-Advance.The Ecology of Mesolithic Europe.The Early Holocene in the Tropics.Saharan Palaeoecology.Early Holocene Climates: Pattern and Process.Conclusion.5. The First Farmers:Agricultural Origins.Near East.Mesoamerica. China and Southeast Asia.Tropical Domesticates.Independent Innovation or Diffusion?The Role of Environmental Change in Early Agriculture.Case Study: Ain Mallaha Catalhoyuk.Early Agricultural Impacts.European Agricultural Dispersals.Ecological Consequences of Early European Agriculture.6. The Taming of Nature (5000-500 Cal. yr BP):Introduction.Changes in the Natural Environment.Climate and Vegetation.The Origin and Development of Blanket Mires.Coasts and Rivers.Cultural Evolution.Hydraulic Civilization in Mesopotamia.Environmental Impact in Prehispanic Mesoamerica.Pastoral Nomadism. Expansion at the Periphery.Conquest of the Northlands.The Pacific.Mediterranean Ecosystems.The Making of the Landscape: the British Isles.The Primaeval Forest.Shaugh Moor: a Bronze Age Landscape.The Environmental Impact of Permanent Agricultural Clearance.Conclusion.7. The Impact of Modern Times (500-0 Cal. yr BP):Introduction.Climatic Changes in Historical Times.Land Use History and Soil Erosion.Pollution Histories.Eutrophication: Natural or Cultural?Acidification and Atmospheric Pollution.8. The Environmental Future: A Holocene Perspective:Holocene Environmental Crises.Environmental Conservation and Holocene History.Appendix: Calibration Table for Radiocarbon Ages.Glossary.Bibliography.Index.