Category Archives: Environmental History

The Insufficient Ark at U of C

Posted on January 29, 2015 by

The Early Modern Workshop at the University of Chicago is holding a discussion of Maura Capps’ dissertation chapter “The Insufficient Ark: A Political Ecology of a Failed Agricultural Department at the Cape of Good Hope, 1795-1806.” Maura is a PhD … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic World, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, Environmental History, European History, Food and Cuisine History, Globalization, Lectures and Seminars, Northern Illinois University | Leave a comment

New Findings on the Black Death

Posted on January 29, 2014 by

Recent DNA research on plague victims has led to new findings on the Black Death, published yesterday at the Lancet online. According to the BBC, “A team has compared the genomes of the Justinian Plague and the Black Death to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental History, European History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Revisiting the Costa Concordia Disaster

Posted on July 20, 2013 by

The cruise liner Costa Concordia wrecked into the isola di Giglio, off the coast of Tuscany, on 13 January 2012. The ship then heeled over and partially capsized while its roughly 4,000 passengers were evacuating the ship. Thirty-two people died … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental History, European Union, Italian History, Maritime History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Recreating Early Modern Medicinal Gardens

Posted on July 6, 2013 by

The New York Botanical Garden has recreated a sixteenth-century medicinal garden as part of its exhibit on Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World. The medicinal garden is patterned on the botanical garden that was created in 1545 for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Environmental History, European History, Globalization, History of Medicine, History of Science, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Historical Perspectives on Climate Change

Posted on May 30, 2013 by

How will climate change affect human societies worldwide in the coming years?  It is difficult to envision all of the potential ramifications of climate change, but disaster planners certainly need to prepare for extreme climate events. One of the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic World, Civilians and Refugees in War, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Environmental History, European History, European Wars of Religion, History of Science, Maritime History, Mediterranean World, State Development Theory, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Astronomy and Climate History

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

A new study by a team of astronomers suggests that a powerful gamma-ray burst hit the earth in the year 774 or 775. The impact of this eighth-century burst, which apparently stemmed from a collision of two neutron stars, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Environmental History, History of Science | Leave a comment

Wreck of the Costa Concordia in the Mediterranean

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

A gigantic cruise liner with 4,234 passengers aboard ran aground near Isola del Giglio, a tiny island off the Tuscan coast, over the weekend. The Costa Concordia had sailed from Civitavecchia, heading on cruise of the western Mediterranean. As the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental History, European History, European Union, Globalization, Maritime History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment