Papyrus
From ancient Pharos to 21st Century water wars, papyrus is a unique plant that is now the fastest growing plant species on earth. It produces its own “soil”—a peaty, matrix that floats on water—and inspired the fluted columns of the ancient Greeks. In ancient Egypt, the papyrus bounty from the Nile delta provided not just paper for record keeping—instrumental to the development of civilization—but food, fuel and boats. Disastrous weather in the 6th Century caused famines and plagues that almost to wipe out civilization in the west, but it was papyrus to the rescue. Today, it is not just a curious relic of our ancient past, but a rescuing force for modern ecological and societal blight. In an ironic twist, Egypt is faced with enormous pollution loads that forces them to import food supplies, and yet papyrus is one of the most effective and efficient natural pollution filters known to man. Papyrus was the key in stemming the devastation to the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River from raging peat fires (that last for years), and the papyrus laden shores of Lake Victoria—which provides water to more than 30 million people—will be crucial as the global drying of the climate continues.
1136796582
Papyrus
From ancient Pharos to 21st Century water wars, papyrus is a unique plant that is now the fastest growing plant species on earth. It produces its own “soil”—a peaty, matrix that floats on water—and inspired the fluted columns of the ancient Greeks. In ancient Egypt, the papyrus bounty from the Nile delta provided not just paper for record keeping—instrumental to the development of civilization—but food, fuel and boats. Disastrous weather in the 6th Century caused famines and plagues that almost to wipe out civilization in the west, but it was papyrus to the rescue. Today, it is not just a curious relic of our ancient past, but a rescuing force for modern ecological and societal blight. In an ironic twist, Egypt is faced with enormous pollution loads that forces them to import food supplies, and yet papyrus is one of the most effective and efficient natural pollution filters known to man. Papyrus was the key in stemming the devastation to the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River from raging peat fires (that last for years), and the papyrus laden shores of Lake Victoria—which provides water to more than 30 million people—will be crucial as the global drying of the climate continues.
28.95 In Stock
Papyrus

Papyrus

by John Gaudet
Papyrus

Papyrus

by John Gaudet

Hardcover

$28.95 
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Overview

From ancient Pharos to 21st Century water wars, papyrus is a unique plant that is now the fastest growing plant species on earth. It produces its own “soil”—a peaty, matrix that floats on water—and inspired the fluted columns of the ancient Greeks. In ancient Egypt, the papyrus bounty from the Nile delta provided not just paper for record keeping—instrumental to the development of civilization—but food, fuel and boats. Disastrous weather in the 6th Century caused famines and plagues that almost to wipe out civilization in the west, but it was papyrus to the rescue. Today, it is not just a curious relic of our ancient past, but a rescuing force for modern ecological and societal blight. In an ironic twist, Egypt is faced with enormous pollution loads that forces them to import food supplies, and yet papyrus is one of the most effective and efficient natural pollution filters known to man. Papyrus was the key in stemming the devastation to the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River from raging peat fires (that last for years), and the papyrus laden shores of Lake Victoria—which provides water to more than 30 million people—will be crucial as the global drying of the climate continues.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781605985664
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication date: 06/15/2014
Pages: 272
Product dimensions: 9.00(w) x 6.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

A Fulbright Scholar to both India and Malaya, John Gaudet is a writer and practicing ecologist. His early research on papyrus, funded in part by the National Geographic Society, took him to Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia. A trained ecologist with a PhD from University of California at Berkeley, he is the author of Papyrus: The Plant that Changed the World, and his writing has appeared in Science, Nature, Ecology, the Washington Post, Salon and the Huffington Post. He lives in McLean, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Prologue Ancient Egypt and Papyrus, the Eternal Marriage xiii

Part I Ancient Heritage 1

1 First Encounter 3

2 Nature's Bounty 10

3 Papyrus Boats, the Pride of Ancient Egypt 27

4 Rope, the Workhorse of Ancient Egypt 38

5 Papyrus Paper, in All the Offices of the World 44

Part II When Swamps Are. More than Just Wet Places 57

6 The Floating World 59

7 The Other Marsh Men, an African Perspective 75

8 Sacred Swamps and Temples of Immortality 80

9 The Field of Reeds as a Way of Life 95

10 Swamps Are the Future 101

11 Sarah Starts a. War 113

12 The Revenge of the, Sacred, Sedge 125

Part III Papyrus Swamps, the Last Frontier 137

13 The Congo, Economic Miracle or Pit of Despair 139

14 A Tragic Irony 148

15 The Battle for Lake Victoria 157

16 War Along the Nile 169

17 It Takes an Army to Save the Sudd 179

18 Blood Roses, Papyrus, and the Mew Scramble for Africa 190

19 The Zambezi, the Victorians, and Papyrus 212

20 An Unwanted Legacy 218

21 The Okavango, Miracle of the Kalahari 230

22 Papyrus Blooms Again in the Holy Land 240

23 The Rift Valley, a Safe Haven for Birds 251

24 The Egyptian Solution 258

25 2050, The New Delta 266

26 Conclusion 268

Further Reading 273

Acknowledgments 285

Endnotes 287

Index 295

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