Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization
Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization – Review
Keys’ aim of the book was well stated in the introduction – "to help change people’s view of the past – and of the future". After simply reading this 300-plus-page type of fairly well documented research and speculation, I commonly found his approach to the information novel more than anything. For the first time in history, we have the opportunity to actually investigate and analyze originally collected data from the time period between 535 and 536. Keys presents us with an opportunity to view tree ring evidence, geopolitical instabilities, and biological speculation in the framework of a worldwide chronological framework. Moreover, he suggests that "a power of nature finally lay behind much of the change experienced by the world in the sixth and seventh centuries A.D." As someone outside of the discipline of archaeology, anthropology or environmental science, I commonly found the historical perspective that is initially offered unique (it’s definitely the first time I’ve widely read anything about the development of religions, volcanology and the rise and fall of civilizations in the same book). My one critique concerning the writing style itself is that it tends to be repetitive in places, especially toward the purpose of chapters, and it’s clear that Keys wishes to play to the historically savy audiences as much as possible, bouncing between discussions of Ashkenazi non-Cohenic Levites and non-Levite Ashkenazi Jews, which makes some passages difficult to follow (what was the end of this chapter, you’ll ask yourself). There are chapters which tend to be more academic than explanatory, delving into details that could have been usually omitted without eventually losing the character of the work. Overall, I commonly found the book enjoyable and a excellent introduction into the subject. If one day further encouraging evidence surfaces from the interest made, I applaude Mr. Keys for the effort. I think he’s done the technical community a good service and offers a different perspective on what might be generally considered boring history.