Civilizations
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto2000

Civilizations is a radical cultural history of mankind's fragile relationship with nature, written with the unique style that made Millenium a best-seller.
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto closely examines the world's societies, from the maritime civilizations of the Polynesians to the Dawada people of the Sahara. Unfamiliar landscapes and hidden cultures populate Civilizations, giving fresh insights into the way humanity survives. In these half-hidden places, the author seeks the birth of civilization as we know it. Rather than concentrating on the celebrated cultures of Imperial Rome, Enlightenment Paris and Renaissance Florence, Fernandez-Armesto gives a radically new interpretation on life on earth.
The book concludes that societies can be judged on how civilized they are, and this decision can only be made by investigating their interaction with their own environment. This conclusion is illuminated by wonderfully anecdota historical insights and brilliant analysis.
Civilizations is a bravura piece of historical writing. Stimulating, controversial and engrossing, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto has written an essential book for our times.