Download or read book Climate Change - Environment and Civilization in the Middle East written by Arie S. Issar and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This survey of ancient levels of lakes, rivers and sea, and changes in stalagmites and sediments shows an astonishing correlation between climate change and rise and fall of civilizations in the Middle East. Warm periods were characterized by aridization, economic crisis and mass migration. Cold periods brought abundant rain, prosperity and settlement. The authors conclude that climate change was the decisive factor in the origins of the "cradle of civilization".