Tomorrow is Thanksgiving for us in the U.S. I hope that everyone that is traveling gets there safely. I am spending the day with my wife here in Walla Walla and on Friday I am flying back home to Tucson to spend a week with family and friends. The nice thing about working from home is that I get to work from any place that I want. Any place I want that has internet access. It is nice to be able to go to get out of the house and still get some work done.
In Middle Ages, Societies Surprisingly Responsive To Natural Disasters
I talk a lot about natural disasters and I think that it is interesting to see it from the perspective of 'low' tech societies. This article takes a look at how societies in the middle ages responded to natural disasters. By looking at how personal items are left behind you can get a good look at what happens during a natural disaster. It is interesting to see a habitation that was burned and the personal belongings that were left behind. I have seen it first hand in digs. I really makes you wonder what was happening to these people.
Through architectural history you can see rebuilding efforts. Bracing in older masonry buildings is pretty common throughout the world. You can see build up of areas that have been cracked from earthquakes. You can see reoccurring habitation from flood events. Alternating layers of flood and cultural are easily seen in profile in many archaeological records.
It would be interesting to use GIS techniques to look at the built landscape and see how people have recovered from these natural disasters. Can you see urban renewal in earlier societies? Are there signs of agricultural practice after volcanoes?