The Mediterranean Climate in Modern and Roman Times Essay -- Roman Emp

The Mediterranean Climate in Modern and Roman TimesFlorence, Italy lies in the Tuscan region in the middle of the Italian peninsula, and is a part of the moderate Mediterranean humour region. Being in such a temperate zone means that Italy is less subject to extreme climate change than other parts of the world. This does not mean that throughout recorded history the climate of the region has been static, however we can see many similarities between the climate today and that of the succession of the Roman Empire. H.H. Lamb describes a gradual global heating in Europe leading up to AD (CE) 400. As he says, this is consistent with a rising sea level during the same period of time. We take for evidence of Roman writers indicating that olive and the vine could be grown farther north than earlier in Roman history (Lamb, 157). As those two crops are very prominent cultural aspects of Rome, this is a very culturally pertinent piece of evidence. Not only was this northern cultivation of olive and vine possible during Plinys time (1 st century CE), but it is still possible now, as olives and wine are two very important parts of Mediterranean culture. Ptolemy kept a stomach journal in the 2 nd century, near the time of Pliny, which Lamb refers to, citing occurrence of rain in every month of the year except August, of microphone boom in all summer months, and in that days of great heat were commonest in July and August (Lamb, 159). This is still more or less true of the Mediterranean, specially Florence. tu30.jpg charm Lamb says that today the continual north and northwest winds off the sea in July, August lower the temperature, Ptolemy kept his journal in Alexandria, farther south than Florence. While Florence may not have expe... ...e had shifted dramatically south. Eventually, as we know, the Roman Empire fell apart and was unable to maintain its magnitude or its grandeur, and its downfall is fast linked to climate change. The ecotone currently lies in southe rn France, where, as Fagan tells us, we can see the vegetation change from Mediterranean to temperate within a hardly a(prenominal) meters. The trend today suggests warming, but unlike in the high period of the Roman Empire, today a lot of this warming appears to be caused by homo activity. Political trends show that an Empire of such magnitude as Rome would not be possible today, but undeniably the history of human sustenance is tied closely to our climate. BibliographyLamb, H. H. Climate, History, and the Modern World. 2nd ed. London and New York Routledge, 1982. 156-170. Fagan, Brain. The Long Summer. New York Basic Books, 2004. 189-212.