The Emergence of Civilization

by Charles Keith Maisels

The Emergence of Civilisation is a major contribution to our understanding of the development of urban culture and social stratification in the Near Eastern region. Charles Maisels argues that our present assumptions about state formation, based on nineteenth century speculations, are wrong. His investigation illuminates the changes in scale, complexity and hierarchy which accompany the development of civilisation. The book draws conclusions about the dynamics of social change and the processes of social evolution in general, applying those concepts to the rise of Greece and Rome, and to the collapse of the classical Mediterranean world.

Genres: History, Archaeology

416 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1990

Reviews

[AC · Rating 2 out of 5]

An extremely dry, and hyper-technical study of the emergence of early Mesopotamian civilization out of the neolithic. It is basically unreadable, though it certainly looks competent.

[Rob Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the anthropology rather than the history of Mesopotamia where it all began.