Understanding Early Civilizations: A Comparative Study

New York: Cambridge University Press- Canto, 2003. First Edition . Hard Back. Fine/Very Good. 7" x 9 1/2. 757 Pages Indexed. Brand new book with black marker pen remainder mark on bottom page edges. No other defects and interior text pages are flawless. Arising independently in various parts of the world, early civilizations--the first class-based societies in human history--are of importance to social scientists interested in the development of complexity, while their cultural productions fascinate both humanists and the general public. This book offers the first detailed comparative study of the seven most fully documented early civilizations: Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Shang China, the Aztecs and their neighbors, the Classic Maya, the Inca, and the Yoruba. Unlike previous studies, equal attention is paid to similarities and differences in their sociopolitical organization, their economic systems, and their religious beliefs, knowledge, art, and values. Many of this study's findings are surprising and provocative. They challenge not only current understandings of early civilizations but also the theoretical foundations of modern archaeology and anthropology. Rival cultural and ecological approaches are demonstrated to be complimentary to one another, while a comprehensive understanding of human behavior is shown to require that more attention be paid to psychology and the neurosciences. Bruce G. Trigger is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at McGill University. He received his PhD from Yale University and has carried out archaeological research in Egypt and the Sudan. His current (2003) interests include the comparative study of early civilizations, the history of archaeology, and archaeological and anthropological theory. Contents in 29 Chapters: Rationalism and Relativism, Comparative studies, Defining Early Civilization, Evidence and Interpretation, Kingship, States City and Territorial, Urbanism, Class systems and Social Mobility, Family Organization and Gender Roles, Administration, Law, Military Organization, Sociopolitical Constants and Variables, Food production, Land Ownership, Trade and Craft Specialization, Appropriation of Wealth, Economic Constants and Variables, Conceptions of the Supernatural, Cosmology and Cosmogony, Cult, Priests Festivals and the Politics of the Supernatural, The Individual and the Universe, Elite Art and Architecture, Literacy and Specialized Knowledge, Values and Personal Aspirations. Cultural Constants and Variables, Discussion, Culture and Reason, and Conclusion.