5. Living landscapes
Andrew Goudie and Heather Viles
in Landscapes and Geomorphology: A Very Short Introduction
How does the living landscape function? ‘Living landscapes’ investigates how plants and animals are influenced by geomorphy and how geomorphy is influenced by plants and animals. Landscapes ...
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Epilogue
Nick Middleton
in Rivers: A Very Short Introduction
We are all affected by rivers in some way, either by living next to one or through the plumbing systems in our homes. Rivers' impact on human society is immense and always has been. Rivers ...
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6. The Soviet Union's turbulent rise
Geoffrey Hosking
in Russian History: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Soviet Union's turbulent rise’ charts the creation of the Soviet Union by the Bolsheviks, who renamed themselves Communists. Communists believed that Marxism, as interpreted by Lenin, ...
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2. Chinggis Khan emerges
Morris Rossabi
in The Mongols: A Very Short Introduction
The last decades of twelfth-century Mongolia were chaotic. Conflicts were bloody and damaging to the landscape. A leader was needed. ‘Chinggis Khan emerges’ looks at how Chinggis Khan came ...
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11. Interlude: the story so far
Barry Cunliffe
in The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
‘Interlude: the story so far’ reviews the case for a distinctively Celtic entity. Although a strong thread of cultural persistence runs through west European prehistory, reducing it all to ...
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5. Peoples on the move
Barry Cunliffe
in The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
‘Peoples on the move’ points out that the movement of Celts from north of the Alps into the Mediterranean lands after about 400 BC is amply documented by Greek and Roman historians writing ...
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16. So, who were the Celts?
Barry Cunliffe
in The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
At one level, the concept of Celt is a belief that underpins sense of self and of inheritance. ‘So who were the Celts?’ points out that the Celts are always being reinvented. By a strict ...
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7. Telling stories
Barry Cunliffe
in The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
Listening to the tales of storytellers played a crucial part in most societies. There is a presumption that the stories should retain their integrity and form, but they inevitably evolve ...
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8. Sharing values
Barry Cunliffe
in The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
‘Sharing values’ asks whether there is such a thing as ‘Celtic culture’. In the fifth century, the emergence of La Tène ‘culture’ with its focus in the Marne–Moselle region, and the ...
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3. New France
Alan Taylor
in Colonial America: A Very Short Introduction
The French in America hoped to get a share of the American wealth they saw the Spanish taking. They turned to North America, which seemed a safer setting for a colony. ‘New France’ charts ...
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1. Nature's driver
Nick Middleton
in Rivers: A Very Short Introduction
In what ways is water ‘Nature's driver’? It covers two-thirds of the Earth's surface and is constantly on the move in the hydrological cycle. Rivers play a key role in this cycle. They ...
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2. Sacred flows
Nick Middleton
in Rivers: A Very Short Introduction
‘Sacred flows’ refers to rivers throughout history that have both nurtured and destroyed life. Mythical rivers appear in Greek mythology, where the underworld is surrounded by rivers; the ...
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2. The formation of the Muscovite state
Geoffrey Hosking
in Russian History: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Formation of the Muscovite state’ charts the history of Muscovy from the late 15th century to the early 19th century. Muscovy enlisted the aid of Cossacks to defend the long and ...
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7. The Soviet Union: triumph, decline, and fall
Geoffrey Hosking
in Russian History: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Soviet Union: triumph, decline and fall’ begins the end World War II, resulting in the USSR gaining an ‘outer empire’ in Central Europe and the Balkans and building Soviet-style ...
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4. The responsibilities and dangers of the empire
Geoffrey Hosking
in Russian History: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Responsibilities and dangers of Empire’ shows that by the mid-17th century, it had become clear that Russia was primarily a north Eurasian empire, rather than an Orthodox ecumene or an ...
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2. Eras of silk road fluorescence
James A. Millward
in The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction
‘Eras of silk road fluorescence’ looks at the effect on silk road communications of shifting political groupings. The most intense communications took place when both nomadic states and the ...
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1. The view from Cahokia
Stephen Aron
in The American West: A Very Short Introduction
‘The view from Cahokia’ describes a dynamic and diverse “prehistory” defined by peoples in motion, societies in flux, cultures entangling, powers competing, and realms shifting—all with ...
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Introduction
Christopher Kelly
in The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction
The ‘Introduction‘ sets out how the Roman empire is to be presented. The period 31 BC to AD 192 is the principal focus, as it shows the Roman empire at the peak of its prosperity. The aim ...
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3. Liquid histories
Nick Middleton
in Rivers: A Very Short Introduction
Rivers are ‘Liquid histories’ in the way that they reflect life. They benefit us by providing food, water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses, and energy to facilitate trade and ...
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5. Tidal bores
David George Bowers and Emyr Martyn Roberts
in Tides: A Very Short Introduction
A tidal bore is perhaps the most spectacular tidal phenomenon that can be readily observed. When a large tide enters a shallow, funnel-shaped estuary with a gently sloping bottom, its ...
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