Author Description
Renowned Archaeologist David Wengrow Creates Here A Vivid New Account Of The Birth Of Civilization In Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia, Bringing Together Within A Unified History The First Two Nations Where People Created Cities, Kingdoms, And Monumental Temples To The Gods. But Civilization, Wengrow Argues, Is Not Exclusively About Large-scale Settlements And Endeavors. Just As Important Are The Ordinary But Fundamental Practices Of Everyday Life, Such As Cooking, Running A Home, And Cleaning The Body. Tracing The Development Of Such Practices, From Prehistoric Times To The Age Of The Pyramids, Wengrow Reveals Unsuspected Connections Between Distant Regions And Provides New Insights Into The Workings Of Societies We Have Come To Regard As Remote From Our Own. The Book Obliges Us To Recognize That Civilizations Are Not Formed In Isolation, But Through The Mixing And Borrowing Of Culture Between Different Societies. It Concludes By Drawing Telling Parallels Between The Ancient Near East And More Contemporary Attempts To Reshape The World According To An Ideal Image.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the fundamental question of what constitutes a civilization by examining the interplay between monumental societal structures and the mundane practices of daily life in the ancient Near East. David Wengrow, a prominent archaeologist, utilizes archaeological evidence from Egypt and Mesopotamia to challenge the traditional view that civilizations emerge in isolation. He argues that cultural development is instead a product of constant interaction, borrowing, and the integration of domestic habits with state-level political organization.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the transition from Neolithic villages to Bronze Age urban centers.
- Examination of domestic practices including food preparation, hygiene, and household management.
- Comparative study of cultural exchange between regions spanning from the Ganges to the Danube.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive political history of every dynasty in the ancient Near East.
- It focuses primarily on the intersection of material culture and social organization rather than military or diplomatic history.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and scholars frequently cite this work for its ability to bridge the gap between specialized archaeological data and broader anthropological theory. Readers often note that the prose is accessible to non-specialists while maintaining the academic rigor expected in the field of Near Eastern studies.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191585033
ISBN-13:
9780191585036
History
Entstehung
Civilisation
Near East
Cultural History
Archaeology
Geschichte
forntiden
Zivilisation
Kultur
Anthropology
Historia
Sociology