Call of Proposals "Collateral damage. Environmental effects of Ancient Warfare". Springer

Call of Proposals “Collateral damage. Environmental effects of Ancient Warfare” Coord.: Arturo Sánchez Sanz Book series: “Conflict, Environment, and Social Complexity” (CESC) Series Editor: Richard J. Chacon Electronic ISSN 2730-5880 Print ISSN 2730-5872 Information for Prospective Contributors War in antiquity has been analysed from many points of view, but mainly associated with the study of tactics, strategies, logistics and even its impact in terms of human losses not only among the fighters, but also among the general population. However, as a human activity, warfare has always demonstrated an enormous dependence on the environment. This is twofold. On the one hand, the supplying of troops or the use of animals in combat was an essential aspect not only to achieve the objective of reaching the enemy in optimal conditions, but also to obtain the greatest possible advantage at the moment of the confrontation. Adequate logistics could mean victory even before the first confrontation took place. We are all familiar with numerous examples of the use of various animals for transport (oxen, mules, etc.) and in combat (horses, war elephants, dogs, camels, etc.), but we cannot forget other lesserknown aspects, such as the impact of introducing invasive species to alter the biodiversity of a territory (consciously or unconsciously). We can even place the beginning of entomological warfare in antiquity, both directly and indirectly, by trying to cause casualties in the enemy through the spread of diseases. In fact, the enemy's own dependence on the ecosystem could also be exploited as a weapon, trying to influence the environment to weaken the opponent or to achieve his direct surrender. Numerous tactics were used in this way to achieve victory, such as scorched earth, poisoning water resources, laying siege to a fortress in order to starve the enemy into submission, and so on. Eliminating everything that could be useful or necessary for the enemy was always a priority whenever possible. If even today it is not possible to claim that those responsible for military campaigns show the slightest trace of environmental awareness, much less can we find such an opinion in antiquity. Victory was the main and only objective, the rest is just "collateral damage". However, we have rarely tried to quantify the impact that the constant wars of the Ancient World had on the ecosystem at home or in foreign lands. Forests and fields razed to the ground, wells filled in, animal species extinct or endangered... classical sources mention all sorts of environmental atrocities, but rarely add information on their long-term impact. The fact is that the environmental impact of ancient wars was significant enough to destroy entire species and civilisations. The question now is: "How can the damage be quantified? Is it possible to provide concrete data on the impact of warfare on the ecosystem during antiquity? In this book we will try to shed some light on such an important topic, and to do so we will divide the book into three sections: - Part 01 - Land on War: dedicated to the impact of war on land, i.e. how it affected crops, resources, livelihoods, ecosystem, etc. - Part 02 - Seas on War: dedicated to the aquatic environment, to try to analyse cases where conflicts or military operations may have affected the marine ecosystem. - Part 03 - Wildlife on War: will seek to analyse the direct and indirect consequences of war on the animal world. This book is part of the “Conflict, Environment, and Social Complexity” (CESC) series edited by Richard J. Chacon for Springer, which already includes several works devoted to understanding conflict and anthropogenic environmental impacts. The series focuses on conflict, war and violence broadly, examining how prehistoric patterns of natural resource use impacted ancient environments, as well as how the continued use of natural resources affects present-day environments. The broad scope of the series proposes a multidisciplinary approach to include archaeological, ethnographic, historical, sociological, political science, biological, conservation, land use policy and environmental perspectives to provide more comprehensive and cross-cutting results. Further information: https://www.springer.com/series/16610 Call of Proposals We are inviting all academics and professionals who wish to make a contribution to participate in one of the three sections in which this work is structured. All proposals will be analysed by the editor of the series and its coordinator, Arturo Sánchez Sanz, PhD in Ancient World Studies (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and Lecturer at the Isabel I of Castile University (SPA) When the proposals are accepted, the participants will be informed in order to start the editorial work following Springer's publishing rules. The table of contents will be submitted for approval by the series editor, Richard J. Chacon and Springer. When accepted for publication, participants will be informed and deadlines will be established. Scholars are invited to submit an extended abstract (800-1200 words) by 30 April 2024, and a list of up to six (6) keywords. Timeline Deadline for reception of proposals: from now until 30 April 2024. Notification of accepted papers: until 31 June 2024 Submissions: artursan@ucm.es Expected publication date: 2025.