Fwd: A Collection of My Articles on History

[Loretta Lohman]

I’ve written several articles primarily about history (a longstanding passion of mine) in The Weekly Anthropocene over the years, whether as interviews, book reviews, segments of travelogues, or standalone deep dives.

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more A Collection of My Articles on History Sam Matey-Coste Jun 26   READ IN APP   Humayun’s Tomb, as I saw it in 2024. I’ve written several articles primarily about history (a longstanding passion of mine) in The Weekly Anthropocene over the years, whether as interviews, book reviews, segments of travelogues, or standalone deep dives. Here’s a collection of some highlights, in approximate order of publication date! Enjoy. The Climate Crisis of 536 CE Deep Dives Repost: The Climate Crisis of 536 CE Sam Matey-Coste · January 1, 2024 In the year 536 CE, a massive volcanic eruption occurred, probably in Iceland. Vast quantities of volcanic ash were forced through the atmosphere, and the weather appears to have been just right to keep it circulating for 18 months as an aerosol-rich fog blocking sunlight. Average temperatures on the Earth of 536 then cooled by around 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius (right about the range of Read full story Eunice Newton Foote, 1800s American Climate Scientist Deep Dives Repost: Eunice Newton Foote, 1800s American Climate Scientist August 28, 2023 This article was first published in 2022, and is now reposted for a wider audience. Read full story Book Review: Indigenous Continent by Pekka Hämäläinen Reviews Book Review: Indigenous Continent by Pekka Hämäläinen Sam Matey-Coste · January 12, 2024 I hadn’t planned to write a review of Indigenous Continent, but I saw a copy at my local library, and then I was inexorably going to do so. The book demanded my attention, then successfully held it. A one-volume history of the Indigenous nations of North America, this Read full story Book Review: Climate Capitalism by Akshat Rathi Reviews Book Review: Climate Capitalism by Akshat Rathi Sam Matey-Coste · January 19, 2024 Climate Capitalism, by Oxford-trained chemist and veteran Bloomberg Green reporter Akshat Rathi, is fairly brief, with twelve short chapters packed into just over 200 pages. Despite this, it’s the most up-to-date and comprehensive book-length treatment of the 2010s-2020s global clean energy revolution that Read full story The Rocketeers and Reformists of Mysore: Investigating India #7 Voyages The Rocketeers and Reformists of Mysore Sam Matey-Coste · May 25, 2024 After visiting the Pavagada solar park, I spent the afternoon of May 15th through the dawn of the 20th in and around the city of Mysuru (historically known as Mysore) writing several articles and exploring local historical sites. The fascinating history of Mysore really deserves a quick summary to give context to my sojourn there, so here goes! Read full story The Hottest Day in Delhi’s History: My Final Days in India: Investigating India #10 Voyages The Hottest Day in Delhi's History: My Final Days in India Sam Matey-Coste · June 8, 2024 After leaving the extraordinarily biodiverse Nagarahole-Bandipur landscape in the southern state of Karnataka, I struck out for the North, catching a fourteen-hour overnight train from Mysuru to Hyderabad on May 22-23. The next two days were occupied by a flying visit to Hyderabad (former throne city of diamond-rich Golconda and today’s capital of the Telugu-speaking Telangana state) during which I had just enough time to finish an article, try the city’s famous biryani Read full story Alexander von Humboldt Was Freaking Amazing Deep Dives Encore: Alexander von Humboldt Was Freaking Amazing Sam Matey-Coste · August 12, 2024 This article is a brief introduction to the life and work of Alexander von Humboldt, a really cool historical figure that more people should know about. Perhaps the most interesting point here is that two hundred years ago, an educated person in America or Europe would have been shocked that such an article was required. Humboldt was, in the first few decades of the 1800s, Read full story Who were the Garamantes? Deep Dives Encore: Who were the Garamantes? Sam Matey-Coste · September 23, 2024 The red pin in the Google Maps screenshot above marks the location of Germa, an archaeological site in the Wadi al-Ajal area of the remote Fezzan region of Libya. Two thousand years ago, it was known as Garama, and was the capital city of the great civilization of the Garamantes. Once thought to be mere “desert barbarians” annoying Roman colonies in North Africa, recent evidence from digs at Germa and other sites has shown that the Garamantes were a complex, populous, urbanized state, with large-scale agriculture, continent-spanning trade networks, and extensive public works projects. The Garamantian civilization lasted over one thousand years, from around 900 BCE to about 600-700 CE. At its height, it was a contemporary and local rival of the Roman Empire, sometimes trading with Rome and sometimes fighting wars against their North African provinces. Read full story The Weekly Anthropocene Interviews: Dr. Rhys Lemoine, Megafauna Rewilding Scientist Interviews The Weekly Anthropocene Interviews: Dr. Rhys Lemoine, Megafauna Rewilding Scientist Sam Matey-Coste · February 10, 2025 Dr. Rhys Lemoine is a Canadian ecologist currently working at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. His research focuses on the immense potential to regenerate rich, vibrant ecosystems around the world through megafauna rewilding. Dr. Lemoine has also Read full story Missives from Mesoamerica #2: Axolotls & Antiquities Voyages Missives from Mesoamerica #2: Axolotls & Antiquities Sam Matey-Coste · April 7, 2025 This is my second article reporting in-person from Mexico! It covers my visit to the great Xochimilco Ecological Park in Mexico City and the incredible wildlife conservation, cultural preservation, and climate resilience work being done there by the Read full story Book Review: How the World Made the West by Dr. Josephine Quinn Reviews Unpaywalled Book Review: How the World Made the West by Dr. Josephine Quinn Sam Matey-Coste · Feb 23 Unpaywalling this book review from 2025! Read full story China’s Hydrological History. China Chronicles: Day 7 Voyages China’s Hydrological History Sam Matey-Coste · Jan 27 As I begin writing this article on January 26, 2026, I’m in another Fuxing electric bullet train, speeding its way from Chongqing to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton). It was just as impressively easy to board as the last two times I took Chinese high-speed rail. Rather than recapitulate my recent rail-focused article, today’s dispatch is a brief summary of just a few points in the hydrological history of China, a fascinating saga with profound lessons for the Anthropocene. Read full story Upgrade to paid Share You’re a free subscriber to The Weekly Anthropocene. Check out our website at https://theweeklyanthropocene.weebly.com/ For the full experience, become a paying subscriber. Upgrade to paid If you would like to support The Weekly Anthropocene with a one-off contribution, click the “Buy me a coffee” button below. Buy me a coffee This newsletter entirely depends on reader contributions. Your support helps make more The Weekly Anthropocene articles possible! Share The Weekly Anthropocene Share The Weekly Anthropocene is trying to increase its readership. 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