Why Did Ancient Civilizations Fail? - Couverture souple

Johnson, Scott A J

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1629582832 ISBN 13 : 9781629582832

Editeur : Left Coast Press Inc, 2016

Synopsis

Ideas abound as to why certain complex societies collapsed in the past, including environmental change, subsistence failure, fluctuating social structure and lack of adaptability. Why Did Ancient Civilizations Fail? evaluates the current theories in this important topic and discusses why they offer only partial explanations of the failure of past civilizations. This engaging book offers a new theory of collapse, that of social hubris. Through an examination of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Roman, Maya, Inca, and Aztec societies, Johnson persuasively argues that hubris blinded many ancient peoples to evidence that would have allowed them to adapt, and he further considers how this has implications for contemporary societies. Comprehensive and well-written, this volume serves as an ideal text for undergraduate courses on ancient complex societies, as well as appealing to the scholar interested in societal collapse.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Scott Johnson is a Maya archaeologist who also studies ancient writing and subsistence. Since receiving his Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University in 2012, he has taught at various colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Johnson writes extensively on archaeological methods and the Maya as well as authoring Translating Maya Hieroglyphs (U Oklahoma Press 2013). He is currently the director of the Emal Archaeological Project in Yucatan and a Research Associate at Washington University in Saint Louis.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Left Coast Press Inc
• Date d'édition: 2016
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1629582832
• ISBN 13: 9781629582832
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 294
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible