I'm embarrassed to admit that I hardly knew, before I read Heather's book about the fall of Rome, at how verdant, well-irrigated, and wealthy northern Africa was to the late Empire. What I do NOT understand, is that has the climate changed? or simply is it an issue of the fact that the ARab tribes weren't interested in maintaining irrigation for trade purposes?

I'd love to know more, if anyone has any good reading suggestions. It's hard to imagine Tunisia, these days, as a breadbasket supporting the rest of Africa . . .