Service One
BOOK REVIEW (B. Amer. Soc. Pap.) 2017
John Gaudet, Papyrus: The Plant that Changed the World: From Ancient Egypt to Today’s Water Wars. New York: Pegasus Books, 2014. xix + 300 pages. ISBN 978-1-60598-566-4.
A persuasive argument can be made that few plant species have played such an important role in the development of human civilization as the papyrus plant (Cyperus papyrus). This extraordinary species is the focus of the book under review that explores not only the myriad ways in which humans have used papyrus in their lives, but also how human activities have shaped the fate of papyrus wetlands in Africa and the Middle East throughout the millennia.
Starting with the rise of the first complex societies in the Nile Valley, the book traces the close and intricate relationship between early humans and the papyrus plant. Drawing on a diverse range of historical and archeological sources, the author elucidates not only the critical role that the papyrus plant played for early Egyptian material culture, but also how humans utilized ancient papyrus ecosystems. The book is therefore not a papyrology study sensu stricto, but rather provides a critically important ecological and societal context that will help inform serious scholars of papyrology. For example, the book discusses in rich detail how pre-dynastic societies were shaped by the ecology of local papyrus wetlands and how papyrus insinuated itself in a variety of ways - with uses ranging from building materials and rope to boats and life preservers, and. of course, as a writing medium - into the life of early Egyptian societies.
In the second half of the book, Gaudet transitions from an analysis of the cultural importance and material benefits of papyrus in traditional Egyptian and African societies to a broader discussion of how humans benefit from papyrus wetlands in general. Integrating diverse lines of evidence, he masterfully demonstrates how the most important benefits that humans receive from papyrus today are not the physical goods, but rather the tremendously important ecosystem services of wetland flow regulation, water filtration, and detoxification.
In a wide-ranging consideration of various locales in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, often illustrated with personal experiences, he reveals how sustainable use of papyrus wetlands can enrich local residents, and how overexploitation has repeatedly resulted in catastrophic consequences for local societies. For example, in a vivid example from the Hula wetlands of northern Israel, the book illustrates how a well-intentioned, but short-sighted development scheme resulted in the conversion of a lush papyrus wetland oasis into a barren ecological wasteland and a source of polluted air.
The scope of the work is truly sweeping, not only in the historic period it considers, but also in the range of disciplines it includes. Gaudet switches effortlessly from analyses of historical events and discussions of experi-mental archaeological methods to easily accessible explanations of wetland ecology and the geopolitics of water use in present-day sub-Saharan Africa. The author is trained as an ecologist and has worked for much of his life in African wetlands - as a result this work is informed by an exceptionally deep knowledge of the subject under study. The central arguments of the book are illustrated with numerous line drawings and a central color-plate section. If there is any place where the book can be improved, it is in the quality of the graphics, which at times appear pixelated and unrefined.
The book is written for a broad audience and is easily accessible to the non-specialist, yet at the same time it does an admirable job of maintaining high academic standards: the author documents the sources of the book carefully and provides a balanced discussion of the chief arguments put forward. Furthermore, the text is supported with a detailed reference section.
In summary, Gaudet has written an important book that should be read by anyone interested in understanding the cultural, ecological, economic, and societal context in which papyrus has been used by humans; it deserves a place on every papyrologist’s book shelf.
University of Michigan
Prof. J. Foufopoulos
John Gaudet, Papyrus: The Plant that Changed the World: From Ancient Egypt to Today’s Water Wars. New York: Pegasus Books, 2014. xix + 300 pages. ISBN 978-1-60598-566-4.
A persuasive argument can be made that few plant species have played such an important role in the development of human civilization as the papyrus plant (Cyperus papyrus). This extraordinary species is the focus of the book under review that explores not only the myriad ways in which humans have used papyrus in their lives, but also how human activities have shaped the fate of papyrus wetlands in Africa and the Middle East throughout the millennia.
Starting with the rise of the first complex societies in the Nile Valley, the book traces the close and intricate relationship between early humans and the papyrus plant. Drawing on a diverse range of historical and archeological sources, the author elucidates not only the critical role that the papyrus plant played for early Egyptian material culture, but also how humans utilized ancient papyrus ecosystems. The book is therefore not a papyrology study sensu stricto, but rather provides a critically important ecological and societal context that will help inform serious scholars of papyrology. For example, the book discusses in rich detail how pre-dynastic societies were shaped by the ecology of local papyrus wetlands and how papyrus insinuated itself in a variety of ways - with uses ranging from building materials and rope to boats and life preservers, and. of course, as a writing medium - into the life of early Egyptian societies.
In the second half of the book, Gaudet transitions from an analysis of the cultural importance and material benefits of papyrus in traditional Egyptian and African societies to a broader discussion of how humans benefit from papyrus wetlands in general. Integrating diverse lines of evidence, he masterfully demonstrates how the most important benefits that humans receive from papyrus today are not the physical goods, but rather the tremendously important ecosystem services of wetland flow regulation, water filtration, and detoxification.
In a wide-ranging consideration of various locales in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, often illustrated with personal experiences, he reveals how sustainable use of papyrus wetlands can enrich local residents, and how overexploitation has repeatedly resulted in catastrophic consequences for local societies. For example, in a vivid example from the Hula wetlands of northern Israel, the book illustrates how a well-intentioned, but short-sighted development scheme resulted in the conversion of a lush papyrus wetland oasis into a barren ecological wasteland and a source of polluted air.
The scope of the work is truly sweeping, not only in the historic period it considers, but also in the range of disciplines it includes. Gaudet switches effortlessly from analyses of historical events and discussions of experi-mental archaeological methods to easily accessible explanations of wetland ecology and the geopolitics of water use in present-day sub-Saharan Africa. The author is trained as an ecologist and has worked for much of his life in African wetlands - as a result this work is informed by an exceptionally deep knowledge of the subject under study. The central arguments of the book are illustrated with numerous line drawings and a central color-plate section. If there is any place where the book can be improved, it is in the quality of the graphics, which at times appear pixelated and unrefined.
The book is written for a broad audience and is easily accessible to the non-specialist, yet at the same time it does an admirable job of maintaining high academic standards: the author documents the sources of the book carefully and provides a balanced discussion of the chief arguments put forward. Furthermore, the text is supported with a detailed reference section.
In summary, Gaudet has written an important book that should be read by anyone interested in understanding the cultural, ecological, economic, and societal context in which papyrus has been used by humans; it deserves a place on every papyrologist’s book shelf.
University of Michigan
Prof. J. Foufopoulos