How Rain Built Civilizations

From the first farmers who coaxed grain from the soil to the engineers who built aqueducts and the merchants who rode the monsoon winds, rain has been the quiet architect of human society. In 'How Rain Built Civilizations,' Anjali Deshpande weaves together archaeology, climatology, and cultural history to reveal the surprising ways that water from the sky has determined where we live, what we believe, and how we organize ourselves. You'll travel from the irrigation canals of Mesopotamia to the rain-fed reservoirs of Angkor, from the ritual dances of the Pueblo peoples to the steam engines of the Industrial Revolution. Along the way, you'll discover how the rhythm of rainfall shaped the rise and fall of empires, why ancient cultures worshipped storm gods, and what the changing patterns of precipitation mean for the future of our own civilization. Clear, vivid, and packed with fascinating stories, this book will change the way you think about every drop that falls. Part of The Curious Rain Library.