Understanding Early Civilizations: A Comparative Study

by Bruce G. Trigger

• ISBN13: 9780521705455
• ISBN10: 0521705452
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-04-16
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book offers the first detailed comparative study of the seven best-documented early civilizations: ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Shang China, the Aztecs and adjacent peoples in the Valley of Mexico, the Classic Maya, the Inka, and the Yoruba. Unlike previous studies, equal attention is paid to similarities and differences in their sociopolitical organization, economic systems, religion, and culture. Many of this study's findings are surprising and provocative. Agricultural systems, technologies, and economic behaviour turn out to have been far more diverse than was expected. These findings and many others challenge not only current understandings of early civilizations but also the theoretical foundations of modern archaeology and anthropology. The key to understanding early civilizations lies not in their historical connections but in what they can tell us about similarities and differences in human behaviour.

Author Biography

Bruce G. Trigger was James McGill Professor in the Department of Anthropology at McGill University

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Introduction
Rationalism and Relativism	p. 3
Comparative Studies	p. 15
Defining 'Early Civilization'	p. 40
Evidence and Interpretation	p. 53
Sociopolitical Organization
Kingship	p. 71
States: City and Territorial	p. 92
Urbanism	p. 120
Class Systems and Social Mobility	p. 142
Family Organization and Gender Roles	p. 167
Administration	p. 195
Law	p. 221
Military Organization	p. 240
Sociopolitical Constants and Variables	p. 264
Economy
Food Production	p. 279
Land Ownership	p. 315
Trade and Craft Specialization	p. 338
Appropriation of Wealth	p. 375
Economic Constants and Variables	p. 395
Cognitive and Symbolic Aspects
Conceptions of the Supernatural	p. 409
Cosmology and Cosmogony	p. 444
Cult	p. 472
Priests, Festivals, and the Politics of the Supernatural	p. 495
The Individual and the Universe	p. 522
Elite Art and Architecture	p. 541
Literacy and Specialized Knowledge	p. 584
Values and Personal Aspirations	p. 626
Cultural Constants and Variables	p. 638
Discussion
Culture and Reason	p. 653
Conclusion	p. 684
References	p. 689
Index	p. 733
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