Walls : a history of civilization in blood and brick / David Frye.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Frye, David, 1963- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fortification--History--To 1500.

Fortification.

Military architecture--History--To 1500.

Military architecture.

Walls--History--To 1500.

Walls.

Military field engineering--History--To 1500.

Military field engineering.

Boundaries--History--To 1500.

Boundaries.

Earthworks (Archaeology).

Defensive (Military science)--History--To 1500.

Defensive (Military science).

Civilization--History.

Civilization.

History.

Genre:

History.

Nonfiction.

Physical Description:

xii, 292 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Scribner hardcover edition.

Other Title:

Walls, a history of civilization in blood and brick

Place of Publication:

New York : Scribner, [2018]

Summary:

"A survey of walls throughout history and their role in shaping society."--Provided by publisher.

From ancient times to the present, mankind has built barriers: against the elements, against predatory animals, against other humans. These edifices of mud, brick, and stone circle the globe. Frye examines the history of walls, and reveals the startling ways that barriers have affected our psyches. He questions: Did walls make civilization possible? And can we live without them? -- adapted from jacket

Contents:

Introduction: A wall against the wasteland

Part one: Builders and barbarians

Midwife to civilization: wall builders at the dawn of history: the ancient Near East, 2500-500 BC

To wall or not to wall?: Greece, 600-338 BC

"Cries of pain and sadness": China, 214 BC

Wallers and warriors: life outside the walls: Eurasia, 2000 BC-AD 1800

Part two: The great age of walls

Prologue to the great age of walls: Alexander's gates: timeless folklore

Walls connect Eurasia: China and central Asia, c. 100 BC

Hadrian's walls: the Roman Empire, AD 117-38

Paradise lost: The Roman Empire, c. AD 300

Defenseless behind walls: The Roman and Byzantine Empires, AD 400-600

Cycles of walls and despots: China, AD 280-1600

Walls and the Apocalypse: Western and Central Asia, AD 500-1300

Part three: The world in transition

The horrible bombard: Constantinople, AD 1453

Beyond the pale: Ireland, Scotland, and the Russian Empire, AD 1494-c. 1800

Fort Brokenheart: South, Central, and North America, prehistory-AD 1800

Part four: A clash of symbols

The last battles: China and France, 1933-40

"A hell of a lot better than a war": Berlin, 1961-89

Epilogue: "Love your neighbor, but don't pull down your hedge": Earth, 1990-present.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-275) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Frye, David, 1963- author. Walls

ISBN:

9781501172700

1501172700

9781501172717

1501172719

OCLC:

1012798550