Many authors have attempted to weave stories regarding the demise of various societies—both ancient and historic—into a single thread of understanding. What can we learn, if anything, from the collapse (or transformation, perhaps) of past societies such as Old Kingdom Egypt, the Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley, and the Classic Maya in Mesoamerica? In this new and intriguing take by Elizabeth Wade on the effects of catastrophe on human societies, I am reminded of the words written by Sun Tzu: “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” This seems to be the lesson Wade wants us to consider when thinking about the wide array of apocalypse phenomena she presents—which, in addition to those stated above, include Neanderthal extinction, Holocene sea-level rise, the impacts of El Niño events and cycles on peoples and places in coastal Peru, the Black Death in medieval Europe, the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the transatlantic slave trade, and even the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wade employs two voices to engage the readers: the first is that of omniscient teacher, documenting occurrences based on evidence collected by experts; the second is that of storyteller, providing third-person viewpoints of fictional characters who experienced firsthand the events inferred by the case studies Wade considers. Combining writing genres is not new, but Wade does a masterful job of seamlessly interweaving these approaches to produce a powerfully didactic narrative, especially when considering each case study individually. Her efficient and effective writing style also keeps the reader engaged, and I found it refreshing that Wade does not engage in self-promoting, egocentric, or brand-making language. As a result, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Studying concepts (such as apocalypse) has proven to be a very difficult undertaking over the years, mainly because we strain to identify common elements (such as cause and effect) that would allow us to formulate clean hypotheses. As a result, considerable time and effort is devoted to merely defining terms, such as “apocalypse,” before pulling together case studies that seem to exemplify our point. This book does not deviate from that model, but the “opportunity from chaos” theme does alleviate some of the difficulty of connecting dots across space and time that is so familiar to archaeologists. With the common thread being so broadly conceived, however, the conclusion becomes little more than a pep talk to those who are concerned about the challenges we all face today. This is especially evident in the epilogue, where Wade presents the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of apocalypse. Unlike the other case studies, this connection feels forced and unconvincing.
Wade does not present fantastical or widely speculative ideas but does a rather good job of composing an interesting narrative that is shaped by known evidence and expert analysis. Her book is well referenced, and she includes extensive notes for each chapter. Still, it is not a scholarly book, and it does not have the kind of rigorous analyses of data typical of academic writing. In general, I would recommend the book to colleagues and advanced students as a gateway into archaeological topics or for use in introductory classes. I would, however, strongly recommend the book to members of the general public who are interested in archaeology and history.
