This book is an in-depth treatment of the antecedents and first florescence of early state and urban societies in the alluvial lowlands of Mesopotamia over nearly three millennia, from approximately 5000 to 2100 BC. Susan Pollock’s approach is explicitly anthropological, and draws on contemporary theoretical perspectives to enrich our understanding of the ancient Mesopotamian past. It explores the ways people of different genders and classes contributed and responded to changes in political, economic, and ideological realms. The interpretations are based on studies of regional settlement patterns, faunal remains, artifact distributions and activity patterning, iconography, texts and burials.
• Written specifically for undergraduates who study anthropology and archaeology • Draws on current theoretical directions in anthropology, especially political economy and feminism • In-depth treatment of antecedents and flourescence of early Mesopotamian civilizations summarizing, analysing, and interpreting large bodies of data
Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Geographic setting and environment; 3. Settlement patterns; 4. Making a living: tributary economics of the fifth and fourth millennia; 5. A changing way of life: the oikos-based economy of the third millennium; 6. The growth of bureaucracy; 7. Ideology and images of power; 8. Death and the ideology of community.
Review
‘ … a very useful addition to the growing body of secondary archaeological literature on Mesopotamia … It is also well written, carefully referenced, indexed, suitably illustrated and includes an annoted bibliography. As such, it should certainly appeal to its audience.’ Antiquity
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