Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
by David R. Montgomery
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Book Summary Information
Author: David R. MontgomeryEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-02
ISBN: 0520258061
Number of pages: 296
Publisher: University of California Press
Book Reviews of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
Book Review: Soil of Life
Summary: 5 Stars
When we think of the world's resources, the major issues that come to mind are our depleting reserves of oil, the continued battle against deforestation, and even our supply of gold. Yet, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery reminds us of one of the most important resources of our earth, which literally lay right under our noses. We are not stepping on dirt per se, but "a whole world of life eating life, a biological orgy recycling the dead back into new life" (1). David R. Montgomery is a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he leads the Geomorphological Research Group and is a member of the Quaternary Research Center1. Dirt is able to avidly and comprehensively tour the past and current civilizations and contextually relate the importance of soil and earth resources toward the rise and fall of societies, and as such, had deservingly received recognition through the 2008 Washington Book State Award in General Nonfiction.
Montgomery begins the book by pointing out the grave error in overlooking the importance of "dirt" in our lives. More than just something on which to build our structures and promote our own way of life, Montgomery rightfully compares the image of healthy soil as the "smell of life itself (1)." By doing so, Montgomery highlights the importance of repositioning society's perspective and view of our terra firma from something we can just take for granted, to "our most underappreciated, least valued, and yet essential natural resource" which must be respected for its true value (3). In Chapter 2, Skin of the Earth, the book goes on to illuminate the basic science of soil formation via the environmental conditions of climate, organisms, parent material, topography and time. This gives the readers a simple, yet essential introduction to soil, particularly in its formation. These soil-forming factors also influence the soil's tendency for erosion; and as such Montgomery emphasizes the dilemma of our gradual loss of soil, and how it relates to mankind.
Montgomery successfully illustrates important, fundamental concepts such as soil loss in a way that the average reader can understand and grasp, rather than only speaking in a jargon comprehensible by the highly educated scientific researcher. Through this, Montgomery aims to educate a broader audience, such that the profound words and intensive research can accomplish change in society's attitude towards our dirt and provoke significant action. He highlights that a "civilization can persist only as long as it retains enough productive soil to feed its people" (23). Thus, we must realize that the preservation and sustainability of our soil resources should take priority over other goals such as improving the quality of life through converting arable farmland into housing and residential.
Throughout the next chapters, Montgomery explores the agricultural growth of different societies and the significant role healthy soils have played in sustaining their ways of life. He starts with the beginning of agriculture as the transition from hunter-gatherers to specializing in labor, then goes on to mention the earliest historical society that employed systematic cultivation of grains originating in Abu Hureyra. This transition, as Montgomery exposes, was a decision forced upon the culture as "sedentary communities of hunter-gatherers began to take root in locations where resources were particularly abundant (31)." As a result, they became settled and permanently inhabited a set region of land, capitalizing on the available resources.
Montgomery demonstrates how society has developed by viewing Thomas Malthus and his views on the growing population as it "outstrips the capacity of the land to feed people (106)." Malthus believed that continued population growth would reach a point where we won't be able to produce sufficient food for the masses, thus causing problems such as starvation and malnutrition. Malthus correctly exhibits his concerns for humanity's ability to sustain its population without the cycle of famine and starvation. Contrastingly, Godwin poses the opposite view of humanity's potential for innovation and efficient, productive development of agriculture. Yet he falsely attuned his views on the myth that "myriads of centuries of still increasing population may pass away, and the earth be yet found sufficient for the support of its inhabitants (107)."
The significance of this belief as pointed out by Montgomery, is that it parallels the views of countless civilizations: our soils are everlasting and (whether it be true ignorance or unwavering denial) we needn't worry about the degradation of earth resources. Montgomery points out Godwin's erroneous beliefs of everlasting soil sustainability and connects it with other civilizations that believed similarly. For example, Montgomery investigates soil erosion in northern China, which caused a withering drought killing half a million people in 1920. Furthermore, Montgomery dedicates Chapter 7, Dust Blow, to give the audience a significant example of how America excessively cultivated and tilled the land, in which it subsequently fell to severe drought and erosion causing ruthless dust storms. The severity of how, in the 1930's, Americans abused the land is visible in the cover of the book itself. We learn that ignorant misuse of our resources inevitably caused our soils to become useless, and led to the displacement of thousands of people from their homes because they would not be able to survive off the land.
The strengths of the book lie in Montgomery's in-depth research on the fate of various civilizations throughout history and their relation to as well as dependence on the use and abuse of the land. It utilizes, to exhaustive detail, facts and notes from numerous sources, only further supporting his claims for the importance of soil in our lives. The importance of Montgomery's use of knowledge from past civilization is to impress the fact that we, as a society, should not allow history to repeat itself. Montgomery gives us hard evidence that
However, one limitation of the book is that the enormous level of information may act as a double-edged sword in that it proves more difficult to follow for the average reader. Despite providing sufficient informational context in the introduction that allows any non-specialist in the subject matter to understand, the density of facts may lose the reader from the primary issues at hand.
I would suggest this book to anyone with a general interest not only in soil science, but also sustainability of the earth and environment. However, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who does not know much about food, farming, and soil conservation, as the book is extremely informative and educational. Ultimately, Montgomery is successful in not only educating the reader about what issues to be concerned with, but to think critically about the topic such that we may want to share the obvious passion that he speaks through his words. Fittingly, he encapsulates the idea of soil conservation and use by stating, "civilization's survival depends on treating soil as an investment, as a valuable inheritance rather than a commodity- as something other than dirt (246)." It is with that attitude that helps us to understand and conscionably believe that humans are not the owners of the earth, but mere stewards of the land.
Summary of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
Dirt, soil, call it what you want--it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are--and have long been--using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. A rich mix of history, archaeology and geology, Dirt traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, European colonialism, Central America, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil--as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. David R. Montgomery sees in the recent rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.Early Civilization Books
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