Norse Greenland: A Controlled Experiment in Collapse

The contents of this book first appeared in Jared Diamond's "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" (Viking Penguin, 2005; Penguin Books, 2006, 2011).
This excerpt from the New York Times–bestselling book "Collapse" takes a timely and fascinating look at prehistoric Norse Greenland — the closest approximation of a controlled experiment in collapse in history. One island, two unique societies (Norse and Inuit). Only one of these societies would succeed — the other would fail. But how? With his trademark accessibility and comprehensiveness, Diamond documents how environmental damage, climate change, loss of friendly contacts and the rise of hostile ones, and the unique political, economic, and social settings of prehistoric Greenland combine to demonstrate exactly why and how societies choose to fail or succeed.