Yaron Ayalon’s book fits into the field of environmental history with its focus on the phenomenon of natural disasters which has its own genealogy of historical studies. As works that look into climate, water and irrigation, pollution, animals, and other issues related to rural or urban environments are proliferating, topics on disasters such as fires, earthquakes, famines, epidemics, and floods are increasingly becoming attractive for academicians.

Yaron Ayalon’s book fits into the field of environmental history with its focus on the phenomenon of natural disasters which has its own genealogy of historical studies. As works that look into climate, water and irrigation, pollution, animals, and other issues related to rural or urban environments are proliferating, topics on disasters such as fires, earthquakes, famines, epidemics, and floods are increasingly becoming attractive for academicians. A reason for this attraction should be the fact that the moment of a natural disaster is usually the peak of a process produced by the inter-relationship between nature and society. This usually violent moment is indispensable for understanding how the environment affects human society and vice versa.