Take a rollercoaster ride through Scotland's fearsome environmental history.

When the icesheet that covered what is now Scotland began to retreat around 12,000 years ago, it revealed a land stripped to its rocky bones but ready to be reclothed in soil, to bear plant life, and to be colonised by animals and humans. So began the formation of Scotland' s environment, opening a story of constantly and still evolving change as climate, weather, disease and human action have shaped and reshaped the land, the waters and all life sustained on and in them.

This book tells the story of this land's rollercoaster ride through past eras of profound climate change that brought bounty or crisis. It traces how climate and weather, and the human population's interaction those forces and with the wider environment of which they are a part – including animal and plant life – shaped the Scotland we know today. The dawning awareness of loss, threat and a need for balance and protection measures to safeguard all our futures is arguably the most pressing crisis we face.

'Breathtaking, ambitious and far-reaching' - Dr Michael Penman, University of Stirling



Richard D. Oram gained an MA (Hons) in Medieval History with Archaeology and a PhD in Medieval History, both from the University of St Andrews. He is currently Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling. A former Director of the Centre for Environmental History and Policy and member of the Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland, he is now a Trustee of the National Museums of Scotland.



'An invaluable addition to Scotland's environmental historical narrative'



'This is environmental history at its best'



'Draws from the disciplines of archaeology, palaeoecology, climate history and a considerable array of written records'



'By utilising and combining innovative methodologies and a staggering breadth of sources, he presents us with a magisterial and original account'



'Brings a much-neglected dimension to our understanding of the past'



'Breathtaking, ambitious and far-reaching'