Natural Decline of the Greeks and Romans

When I look around Italy now, it's hard for me to grasp all of the history that the land has seen. Especially in Rome where random ruins are mixed into the city, it's crazy to imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago in this area. However, this land was not all peaches and cream as it appears to me today.

The Greeks and Romans were very unaware of the damaging effects their actions were having on the environment. Deforestation and erosion were two of the biggest pitfalls of these groups of people. Most of the Mediterranean forests were removed and this led to an eventual shortage of wood with a following increase in the price of wood. Erosion led to extreme salinization of the soil which in turn forced the Greeks and Romans to plant only crops that could grow in such salty soil. Wheat was their crop of choice, but they had to begin growing barley instead which also went for a lower price. In some cases, even being smart about which crops could be planted where was of no use because the soil was plain exhausted to the point where agriculture ceased entirely in some sections of the land.

The treatment of animals in Greek and Roman civilizations was also a factor in both of their downfalls. Animals were killed in excess and sometimes for entertainment as was the case at the Collosseum in Rome. I was able to visit the Collosseum and see where the slaughterings took place. I remember being told that on one occasion, over nine thousand animals were killed in the arena. With numbers like that, it's no surprise to me that these people greatly depleted their animal populations, sometimes almost to the point of extinction. Depletion of the animals was not only for the sake of sport, however. Certain predators were killed to save crops and other animals that they were eating, but this led to staggering numbers of animals that the predators hunted, such as mice.

Pollution was also an issue that humans were largely responsible for. In those times, there was hardly any way to treat air pollution besides chimneys that dispersed noxious smoke into the air. Many harmful chemicals went untreated because of this. Water pollution from sewage and garbage in the streets led to the spread of diseases within the population.

The carelessness with which the Greeks and Romans treated their land eventually played into the decline of their civilizations. It's easy to say that they could have prevented all of this, but they did not have the technology and knowledge that we do today about the environment.

I've probably said it a million times by now, but it's true that Italy is the best place I have ever traveled to. There's no doubt in my mind that I will be back in the future and I already can't wait for that day.

Below is a picture of the Collosseum.