Books published by Princeton University Press

A richly illustrated guide to the marvelously diverse plankton of the world and their fundamental role in planetary food webs Plankton are the unsung heroes of planet Earth. Passive drifters through the world's seas, oceans, and freshwater environments, most are invisible or very small, but some are longer than a whale. They are the global ocean's foundation food, supporting almost all oceanic life, and they are also vitally important for land-based plants, animals, and other organisms. Plankton provides an incomparable look at these remarkable creatures, opening a window on the elegance and grace of microscopic marine life. This engaging book reveals the amazing diversity of plankton, how they belong to a wide range of living groups--from microbes to plants to animals--and how their ecology, lifestyles, and adaptations have evolved to suit an enormous range of conditions. It looks at plankton life cycles, the different ways plankton feed and grow, and the vast range of strategies they use for reproduction. It tracks where, how, and why plankton drift through the water; shares perspectives on migrations and population explosions or "blooms" and why they happen; and discusses the life-sustaining role of plankton in numerous intertwined food webs throughout the world. Beautifully illustrated, Plankton sheds critical light on how global warming, pollution, diminishing resources, and overexploitation will adversely impact planktonic life, and how these effects will reverberate to every corner of our planet.

A beautifully illustrated guide to the natural history and breathtaking diversity of spiders around the world Spiders are dominant predators in virtually every terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. A marvel of evolution with species numbering in the tens of thousands, they have been walking the earth since before the dinosaurs. Spiders manipulate the silk strands of their webs to act as a sensory field, which vibrates across wide frequencies that they can read in detail, while young spiders spin silk lines that interact with the electrical fields in the atmosphere, enabling them to balloon across huge distances. Some spiders even gather in groups to impersonate ants in astonishing displays of collective mimicry. The Lives of Spiders explores these and other wonders, blending stunning imagery, lively writing, and the latest science to explore the natural history of the world's diverse arachnid life.Features a wealth of color illustrationsSheds invaluable light on the life history, ecology, and stunning diversity of spidersCovers silk and web building, venoms, predators and prey, mating and dancing, spider cognition, and much moreDiscusses the impacts of human activity on spiders

A beautifully illustrated guide to the vibrant and richly diverse world of bees The Lives of Bees provides a one-of-a-kind look at the life and natural history of bees. Blending stunning photographs and illustrations with illuminating profiles of selected species, this incisive guide takes readers inside the world of these marvelous insects, exploring their physiology, behavior, ecology, evolution, and much more. The Lives of Bees is essential reading for nature lovers everywhere.Features a wealth of stunning color imagesCovers everything from the social lives of bees to bee conservationWritten by two leading experts in the fieldDiscusses the cultural, ecological, and economic interconnections between humans and beesHighlights strategies to support bee populations in backyards, farms, and natural areas

An essential introduction to the physics of active matter and its application to questions in biology In recent decades, the theory of active matter has emerged as a powerful tool for exploring the differences between living and nonliving states of matter. The Restless Cell provides a self-contained, quantitative description of how the continuum theory of matter has been generalized to account for the complex and sometimes counterintuitive behaviors of living materials. Christina Hueschen and Rob Phillips begin by illustrating how classical field theory has been used by physicists to describe the transport of matter by diffusion, the elastic deformations of solids, and the flow of fluids. Drawing on physical insights from the study of diffusion, they introduce readers to the continuum theory protocol--a step-by-step framework for developing equations that describe matter as a continuum--and show how these methods and concepts can be generalized to the study of living, energy-consuming matter. Hueschen and Phillips then present a range of engaging biological case studies across scales, such as the symmetry breaking that occurs in developing embryos, the perpetual flows that take place in giant algal cells, and the herding of wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti. An essential resource for students and researchers in biological physics and quantitative biology, The Restless Cell gives complete derivations of all calculations and features illustrations by Nigel Orme that seamlessly bridge conceptual models and continuum descriptions of living matter.

In the Age of AI, our future depends on better understanding what makes us human We are at a crossroads in history. If we hope to share our planet successfully with each other and the AI systems we are creating, we must reflect on who we are, how we got here, and where we are heading. The Importance of Being Educable puts forward a provocative new exploration of the extraordinary facility of humans to absorb and apply knowledge. The remarkable "educability" of the human brain can be understood as an information processing ability. It sets our species apart, enables the civilization we have, and gives us the power and potential to set our planet on a steady course. Yet it comes hand in hand with an insidious weakness. While we can readily absorb entire systems of thought about worlds of experience beyond our own, we struggle to judge correctly what information we should trust. In this visionary book, Leslie Valiant argues that understanding the nature of our own educability is crucial to safeguarding our future. After breaking down how we process information to learn and apply knowledge--and drawing comparisons with other animals and AI systems--he explains why education should be humankind's central preoccupation. Will the unique capability that has been so foundational to our achievements and civilization continue to drive our progress, or will we fall victim to our vulnerabilities? If we want to play to our species' great strength and protect our collective future, we must better understand and prioritize the vital importance of being educable. This book provides a road map.

A fully updated and expanded edition of the acclaimed, bestselling dinosaur field guide The bestselling Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs remains the must-have book for anyone who loves dinosaurs, from amateur enthusiasts to professional paleontologists. Now extensively revised and expanded, this dazzlingly illustrated large-format edition features nearly 100 new dinosaur species and hundreds of new and updated illustrations, bringing readers up to the minute on the latest discoveries and research that are radically transforming what we know about dinosaurs and their world. Written and illustrated by acclaimed dinosaur expert Gregory Paul, this stunningly beautiful book includes detailed species accounts of all the major dinosaur groups as well as a wealth of breathtaking images--skeletal drawings, "life" studies, scenic views, and other illustrations that depict the full range of dinosaurs, from small feathered creatures to whale-sized supersauropods. Paul's extensive introduction delves into dinosaur history and biology, the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs, the origin of birds, and the history of dinosaur paleontology, as well as giving a taste of what it might be like to travel back in time to the era when dinosaurs roamed the earth.Now covers more than 800 dinosaur species, including scores of newly discovered onesProvides startling perspectives on the famed Brontosaurus and TyrannosaurusReveals that the largest dinosaurs weighed as much as the biggest whales, and shows why that happenedFeatures hundreds of color and black-and-white drawings and figures, including life studies, scenic views, and skull and muscle drawingsIncludes color paleo-distribution maps and a color time lineDescribes anatomy, physiology, locomotion, reproduction, and growth of dinosaurs, as well as the origin of birds and the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs

"A major new account of the post-Napoleonic Holy Alliance and the promise it held for liberals. The Holy Alliance is now most familiar as a label for conspiratorial reaction. In this book, Isaac Nakhimovsky reveals the Enlightenment origins of this post-Napoleonic initiative, explaining why it was embraced at first by many contemporary liberals as the birth of a federal Europe and the dawning of a peaceful and prosperous age of global progress. Examining how the Holy Alliance could figure as both an idea of progress and an emblem of reaction, Nakhimovsky offers a novel vantage point on the history of federative alternatives to the nation state. The result is a clearer understanding of the recurring appeal of such alternatives-and the reasons why the politics of federation has also come to be associated with entrenched resistance to liberalism's emancipatory aims. Nakhimovsky connects the history of the Holy Alliance with the better-known transatlantic history of eighteenth-century constitutionalism and nineteenth-century efforts to abolish slavery and war. He also shows how the Holy Alliance was integrated into a variety of liberal narratives of progress. From the League of Nations to the Cold War, historical analogies to the Holy Alliance continued to be drawn throughout the twentieth century, and Nakhimovsky maps how some of the fundamental political problems raised by the Holy Alliance have continued to reappear in new forms under new circumstances. Time will tell whether current assessments of contemporary federal systems seem less implausible to future generations than initial liberal expectations of the Holy Alliance do to us today"--

A new account of the renowned Baroque painter, revealing how her astute professional decisions shaped her career, style, and legacy Art has long been viewed as a calling--a quasi-religious vocation that drives artists to seek answers to humanity's deepest questions. Yet the artworld is a risky, competitive business that requires artists to make strategic decisions, especially if the artist is a woman. In Artemisia Gentileschi and the Business of Art, Christopher Marshall presents a new account of the life, work, and legacy of the Italian Baroque painter, revealing how she built a successful four-decade career in a male-dominated field--and how her business acumen has even influenced the resurrection of her reputation today, when she has been transformed from a footnote of art history to a globally famous artist and feminist icon. Combining the most recent research with detailed analyses of newly attributed paintings, the book highlights the business considerations behind Gentileschi's development of a trademark style as she marketed herself to the public across a range of Italian artistic centers. The disguised self-portraits in her early Florentine paintings are reevaluated as an effort to make a celebrity brand of her own image. And, challenging the common perception that Gentileschi's only masterpieces are her early Caravaggesque paintings, the book emphasizes the importance of her neglected late Neapolitan works, which are reinterpreted as innovative responses to the conventional practices of Baroque workshops. Artemisia Gentileschi and the Business of Art shows that Gentileschi's remarkable success as a painter was due not only to her enormous talent but also to her ability to respond creatively to the continuously evolving trends and challenges of the Italian Baroque artworld.

A graduate-level introduction to the interface between particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmologyThis book explores the exciting interface between the fields of cosmology, high-energy astrophysics, and particle physics, at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate- to graduate-level students as well as active researchers. Without assuming a strong background in particle physics or quantum field theory, the text is designed to be accessible to readers from a range of backgrounds and presents both fundamentals and modern topics in a modular style that allows for flexible use and easy reference. It offers coverage of general relativity and the Friedmann equations, early universe thermodynamics, recombination and the cosmic microwave background, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the origin and detection of dark matter, the formation of large-scale structure, baryogenesis and leptogenesis, inflation, dark energy, cosmic rays, neutrino and gamma-ray astrophysics, supersymmetry, Grand Unified Theories, sterile neutrinos, and axions. The book also includes numerous worked examples and homework problems, many with solutions. Particle Cosmology and Astrophysics provides readers with an invaluable entrée to this cross-disciplinary area of research and discovery. Accessible to advanced undergraduate to graduate students, as well as researchers in cosmology, high-energy astrophysics, and particle physicsDoes not assume a strong background in particle physics or quantum field theory and contains two chapters specifically for readers with no background in particle physicsBroad scope, covering many topics across particle physics, astrophysics, and particle cosmologyModular presentation for easy reference and flexible useProvides more than 200 homework problems, many with solutionsIdeal for course use or self-study and reference

A charming, richly illustrated, pocket-sized exploration of the world's spiders Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any nature lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with original artwork and color photographs, The Little Book of Spiders is an accessible and enjoyable mini reference book about the world's spiders, with examples drawn from across the globe. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics--from anatomy, diversity, and reproduction to habitat and conservation. It also includes curious facts and a section on spiders in myths, folklore, and modern culture around the world. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing lives of spiders.A beautifully designed pocket-sized book with a foil-stamped cloth coverFeatures some 140 color illustrations and photosMakes a perfect gift

A charming, richly illustrated, pocket-sized exploration of the world's trees Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any nature lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with original artwork and color photographs, The Little Book of Trees is an accessible and enjoyable mini reference book about the world's trees, with examples drawn from across the globe. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics--from tree anatomy, diversity, and architecture to habitat and conservation. It also includes curious facts and a section on trees in myths, folklore, and modern culture around the world. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing lives of trees.A beautifully designed pocket-sized book with a foil-stamped cloth coverFeatures some 140 color illustrations and photosMakes a perfect gift

A charming, richly illustrated, pocket-sized exploration of the world's butterflies Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any nature lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with original artwork and color photographs, The Little Book of Butterflies is an accessible and enjoyable mini reference book about the world's butterflies, with examples drawn from across the globe. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics--from anatomy, diversity, and reproduction to habitat and conservation. It also includes curious facts and a section on butterflies in myths, folklore, and modern culture around the world. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing lives of butterflies.A beautifully designed pocket-sized book with a foil-stamped cloth coverFeatures some 140 color illustrations and photosMakes a perfect gift

A charming, richly illustrated, pocket-sized exploration of the world's beetles Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any nature lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with original artwork and color photographs, The Little Book of Beetles is an accessible and enjoyable mini reference book about the world's beetles, with examples drawn from across the globe. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics--from anatomy, diversity, and reproduction to habitat and conservation. It also includes curious facts and a section on beetles in myths, folklore, and modern culture around the world. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing lives of beetles.A beautifully designed pocket-sized book with a foil-stamped cloth coverFeatures some 140 color illustrations and photosMakes a perfect gift

A major reassessment of the methods and meaning of impressionism At pivotal moments in his career, Claude Monet would go out with a fellow artist, plant his easel beside his friend's, and paint the same scene. Painting with Monet closely examines pairs of such works, showing how attention to this practice raises tantalizing new questions about Monet's art and impressionism as a movement. Is impressionist painting an objective attempt to capture reality as it really is? Or is it a subjective expression of the artist's unique way of perceiving things? How can artists create a movement without conformity extinguishing individuality? Harmon Siegel reveals how Monet explored problems like these in concrete, practical ways while painting alongside his teachers, Eugène Boudin and Johan Barthold Jongkind, his friends, Frédéric Bazille and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and his hero, Eugène Manet. At a time of major cultural upheavals, these artists asked how we can know reality beyond our personal perception. Siegel provides new insights into the aesthetic, philosophical, and ethical stakes for these painters as they responded to a rapidly changing society. Beautifully illustrated, Painting with Monet sheds critical light on how Monet and his fellow impressionists, painting side by side, avowed their capacity to know the world and affirmed their conviction in what Siegel calls the reality of others.

A hands-on lab guide in the MATLAB programming language that enables students in the life sciences to reason quantitatively about living systems across scales This lab guide accompanies the textbook Quantitative Biosciences, providing students with the skills they need to translate biological principles and mathematical concepts into computational models of living systems. This hands-on guide uses a case study approach organized around central questions in the life sciences, introducing landmark advances in the field while teaching students--whether from the life sciences, physics, computational sciences, engineering, or mathematics--how to reason quantitatively in the face of uncertainty.Draws on real-world case studies in molecular and cellular biosciences, organismal behavior and physiology, and populations and ecological communitiesEncourages good coding practices, clear and understandable modeling, and accessible presentation of resultsHelps students to develop a diverse repertoire of simulation approaches, enabling them to model at the appropriate scaleBuilds practical expertise in a range of methods, including sampling from probability distributions, stochastic branching processes, continuous time modeling, Markov chains, bifurcation analysis, partial differential equations, and agent-based simulationsBridges the gap between the classroom and research discovery, helping students to think independently, troubleshoot and resolve problems, and embark on research of their ownStand-alone computational lab guides for Quantitative Biosciences also available in Python and R

A hands-on lab guide in the Python programming language that enables students in the life sciences to reason quantitatively about living systems across scales This lab guide accompanies the textbook Quantitative Biosciences, providing students with the skills they need to translate biological principles and mathematical concepts into computational models of living systems. This hands-on guide uses a case study approach organized around central questions in the life sciences, introducing landmark advances in the field while teaching students--whether from the life sciences, physics, computational sciences, engineering, or mathematics--how to reason quantitatively in the face of uncertainty.Draws on real-world case studies in molecular and cellular biosciences, organismal behavior and physiology, and populations and ecological communitiesEncourages good coding practices, clear and understandable modeling, and accessible presentation of resultsHelps students to develop a diverse repertoire of simulation approaches, enabling them to model at the appropriate scaleBuilds practical expertise in a range of methods, including sampling from probability distributions, stochastic branching processes, continuous time modeling, Markov chains, bifurcation analysis, partial differential equations, and agent-based simulationsBridges the gap between the classroom and research discovery, helping students to think independently, troubleshoot and resolve problems, and embark on research of their ownStand-alone computational lab guides for Quantitative Biosciences also available in R and MATLAB

A hands-on lab guide in the R programming language that enables students in the life sciences to reason quantitatively about living systems across scales This lab guide accompanies the textbook Quantitative Biosciences, providing students with the skills they need to translate biological principles and mathematical concepts into computational models of living systems. This hands-on guide uses a case study approach organized around central questions in the life sciences, introducing landmark advances in the field while teaching students--whether from the life sciences, physics, computational sciences, engineering, or mathematics--how to reason quantitatively in the face of uncertainty.Draws on real-world case studies in molecular and cellular biosciences, organismal behavior and physiology, and populations and ecological communitiesEncourages good coding practices, clear and understandable modeling, and accessible presentation of resultsHelps students to develop a diverse repertoire of simulation approaches, enabling them to model at the appropriate scaleBuilds practical expertise in a range of methods, including sampling from probability distributions, stochastic branching processes, continuous time modeling, Markov chains, bifurcation analysis, partial differential equations, and agent-based simulationsBridges the gap between the classroom and research discovery, helping students to think independently, troubleshoot and resolve problems, and embark on research of their ownStand-alone computational lab guides for Quantitative Biosciences also available in Python and MATLAB

A thought-provoking study of how knowledge of provenance was not transferred with enslaved people and goods from the Portuguese trading empire to Renaissance Italy In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, Renaissance Italy received a bounty of 'goods' from Portuguese trading voyages--fruits of empire that included luxury goods, exotic animals and even enslaved people. Many historians hold that this imperial 'opening up' of the world transformed the way Europeans understood the global. In this book, K.J.P. Lowe challenges such an assumption, showing that Italians of this era cared more about the possession than the provenance of their newly acquired global goods. With three detailed case studies involving Florence and Rome, and drawing on unpublished archival material, Lowe documents the myriad occasions on which global knowledge became dissociated from overseas objects, animals and people. Fundamental aspects of these imperial imports, including place of origin and provenance, she shows, failed to survive the voyage and make landfall in Europe. Lowe suggests that there were compelling reasons for not knowing or caring about provenance, and concludes that geographical knowledge, like all knowledge, was often restricted and not valued. Examining such documents as ledger entries, journals and public and private correspondence as well as extant objects, and asking previously unasked questions, Lowe meticulously reconstructs the backstories of Portuguese imperial acquisitions, painstakingly supplying the context. She chronicles the phenomenon of mixed-ancestry children at Florence's foundling hospital; the ownership of inanimate luxury goods, notably those possessed by the Medici; and the acquisition of enslaved people and animals. How and where goods were acquired, Lowe argues, was of no interest to fifteenth and sixteenth-century Italians; possession was paramount.

Featuring twenty-five leading writers, an all-new collection of colorful and candid essays and other pieces about Freud and his legacy today With never-before-published contributions by André Aciman - Sarah Boxer - Jennifer Finney Boylan - Susie Boyt - Gerald Early - Esther Freud - Rivka Galchen - Adam Gopnik - David Gordon - Siri Hustvedt - Sheila Kohler - Peter D. Kramer - Philip Lopate - Thomas Lynch - Daphne Merkin - David Michaelis - Rick Moody - Susie Orbach - Richard Panek - Alex Pheby - Michael Roth - Casey Schwartz - Mark Solms - Colm Tóibín - Sherry Turkle W. H. Auden described Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) as "a whole climate of opinion. / Under whom we conduct our differing lives." The controversial father of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Freud charted the human unconscious, brought us the talking cure, and wrote books that now rank among the classics of world literature. In On the Couch, the great analyst is analyzed by some of today's great writers and thinkers, who help us understand the man who has helped us understand ourselves as much, if not more, than anyone else, ever. The result is a fresh, multifaceted reassessment of Freud's continuing relevance and influence on ideas, literature, culture, science, and more. Here, Colm Tóibín writes about Freud, World War I, Henry James, and Thomas Mann; Adam Gopnik explores Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents; Susie Orbach considers Freud's "ordinary unhappiness" and D. W. Winnicott's "good enough"; Jennifer Finney Boylan reflects on penis envy and transgender; Peter Kramer describes how new science and drugs have revolutionized psychology since Freud; Susie Boyt, one of Freud's great-granddaughters, spends the night at the Freud Museum in London; Siri Hustvedt examines Freud's divided reception today; and there's much more. Filled with insights, provocation, and humor, On the Couch offers an original and nuanced portrait of Freud as a complex figure who, for all his flaws, forever changed how we see ourselves and the world.

"A collection of quotations from the influential contemporary Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat"--

A boxed collection of Jenny Holzer's renowned Truisms Jenny Holzer's Truisms (1977-79), comprising over 250 single-sentence declarations, were written to resemble existing aphorisms, maxims, and clichés. Each sentence distills difficult and contentious ideas into a seemingly straightforward statement of fact. Privileging no single viewpoint, the Truisms examine the social construction of beliefs, mores, and truths. Arranged in alphabetical order, Truisms were first shown on anonymous street posters pasted throughout downtown Manhattan, and they have since appeared on T-shirts, hats, electronic signs, stone floors, and benches. Holzer-isms presents a collection of these iconic phrases in a special form: a cloth-covered, foil-stamped box containing six folded posters designed by Holzer, each featuring a selection of Truisms, accompanied by a booklet with an introduction, biography, and chronology. The result is a beautifully designed object that offers a new way to experience Holzer's powerful and provocative text-based art.

The hidden life of the greatest surviving work of Inca art The most celebrated Andean artwork in the world is a five-hundred-year-old Inca tunic made famous through theories about the meanings of its intricate designs, including attempts to read them as a long-lost writing system. But very little is really known about it. The Royal Inca Tunic reconstructs the history of this enigmatic object, presenting significant new findings about its manufacture and symbolism in Inca visual culture. Andrew James Hamilton draws on meticulous physical examinations of the garment conducted over a decade, wide-ranging studies of colonial Peruvian manuscripts, and groundbreaking research into the tunic's provenance. He methodically builds a case for the textile having been woven by two women who belonged to the very highest echelon of Inca artists for the last emperor of the Inca Empire on the eve of the Spanish invasion in 1532. Hamilton reveals for the first time that this imperial vestment remains unfinished and has suffered massive dye fading that transforms its appearance today, proposing a bold new conception of what this radiant masterpiece originally looked like. Illustrated with stunning photography of the tunic and Hamilton's own beautiful illustrations, The Royal Inca Tunic demonstrates why this object holds an important place in the canon of art history as a deft creation by Indigenous women artists, a reminder of the horrors of colonialism, and an emblem of contemporary Andean identity.

A leading art historian presents a new grammar for understanding the meaning and significance of print In process and technique, printmaking is an art of physical contact. From woodcut and engraving to lithography and screenprinting, every print is the record of a contact event: the transfer of an image between surfaces, under pressure, followed by release. Contact reveals how the physical properties of print have their own poetics and politics and provides a new framework for understanding the intelligence and continuing relevance of printmaking today. The seemingly simple physics of printmaking brings with it an array of metamorphoses that give expression to many of the social and conceptual concerns at the heart of modern and contemporary art. Exploring transformations such as reversal, separation, and interference, Jennifer Roberts explores these dynamics in the work of Christiane Baumgartner, David Hammons, Edgar Heap of Birds, Jasper Johns, Corita Kent, Glenn Ligon, Julie Mehretu, Robert Rauschenberg, and many other leading artists who work at the edge of the medium and beyond. Focusing on the material and spatial transformations of the printmaking process rather than its reproducibility, this beautifully illustrated book explores the connections between print, painting, and sculpture, but also between the fine arts, industrial arts, decorative arts, and domestic arts. Throughout, Roberts asks what artists are learning from print, and what we, in turn, can learn from them. Published in association with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington

In this gripping sequel to his bestselling 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the story of what happened after the Bronze Age collapsed--why some civilizations endured, why some gave way to new ones, and why some disappeared forever At the end of the acclaimed history 1177 B.C., many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had boasted major empires and societies, relative peace, robust commerce, and monumental architecture was lost and the so-called First Dark Age had begun. Now, in After 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the compelling story of what happened next, over four centuries, across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean world. It is a story of resilience, transformation, and success, as well as failures, in an age of chaos and reconfiguration. After 1177 B.C. tells how the collapse of powerful Late Bronze Age civilizations created new circumstances to which people and societies had to adapt. Those that failed to adjust disappeared from the world stage, while others transformed themselves, resulting in a new world order that included Phoenicians, Philistines, Israelites, Neo-Hittites, Neo-Assyrians, and Neo-Babylonians. Taking the story up to the resurgence of Greece marked by the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C., the book also describes how world-changing innovations such as the use of iron and the alphabet emerged amid the chaos. Filled with lessons for today about why some societies survive massive shocks while others do not, After 1177 B.C. reveals why this period, far from being the First Dark Age, was a new age with new inventions and new opportunities.