This text addresses climate variability and its human impact during the Holocene. The various contributions were presented during the July 1996 Negev University workshop and provide an interdisciplinary, integrative overview. Some chapters document and discuss climate variability and paleo-hydrology using stable isotopes, radiocarbon, pollen and other proxy data. The mechanisms causing climate variability are also discussed. The response of historical human communities to change in climate (temperature and hydrological) is documented for a number of geographical areas and time periods using historical and archaeological data. The paleo-climate and paleo-hydrology results may help us constrain and improve predictive models. The historical record of societal response to climate variability may provide information on the adaptability of societies to future global and climatic change. This text should be of interest to paleo-hydrologists, paleo-climatologists, palynologists, Quaternary geologists, physical geographers, archaeologists, and other scientists interested in climatic change and history.
