Suggested Readings 275comparison of contemporary societies, we now stand a
chance of understanding such problems. Such under-
standing represents a central part of the anthropologist’s
mission and can contribute to the ability of our species to
transcend human-made problems.It is discouraging to note that many of the problems as-
sociated with the first civilizations are still with us. Waste
disposal, pollution-related health problems, crowding, so-
cial inequities, and warfare continue to be serious prob-
lems. Through the study of past civilizations and through
Questions for Reflection
- In large-scale societies of the past and present, people
face the challenge of social stratification. Elite classes have
disproportionate access to and control of all resources. Is so-
cial stratification an inevitable consequence of the emergence
of cities and states? How can the study of social stratification
in the past contribute to the resolution of contemporary is-
sues of social justice? - In previous chapters it was emphasized that human
evolutionary history should not be thought of as progress.
Why is it similarly incorrect to think of the shift from village
to city to state as progress? - What are some of the ways that differences in social
stratification are expressed in your community? Does your
community have any traditions surrounding death that serve
to restate the social differentiation of individuals?- With today’s global communication and economic net-
works, will it be possible to shift away from social systems
involving centralized governments, or will a centralized au-
thority have to control and protect resources for the entire
world? - With many archaeological discoveries there is a value
placed on “firsts,” such as the earliest writing, the first city,
or the earliest government. Given the history of the indepen-
dent emergence of cities and states throughout the world, do
you think that scientists should place more value on some of
these events just because they are older?
Suggested Readings
Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, germs, and steel. New York:
Norton.
Also recommended in Chapter 10, this book has an excellent
discussion of the relation among diseases, social complexity,
and social change.
Fagan, B. (2001). The seventy great mysteries of the ancient
world. New York: Thames & Hudson.
Archaeologist Brian Fagan edited contributions from twenty-
eight other archaeologists and historians about some of the
great controversies in the field in this readable book.
Mann, C. C. (2005). 1491 : New revelations of the Americas
before Columbus. New York: Knopf.
Also recommended in Chapter 10, this book demon-
strates the devastation European colonizers brought to the
Americas.
Marcus, J., & Flannery, K. V. (1996). Zapotec civilization:
How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. New
York: Thames & Hudson.
With its lavish illustrations, this looks like a coffee table
book, but it is a thoughtful and serious work on the rise
of a pristine civilization and a presentation of the authors’
action theory.McNeill W. (1992). Plagues and people. New York: Anchor.
This book offers an interpretation of world history through
the impact of infectious disease. It documents the role dis-
ease played in the colonization of the Americas as well as
continuing the investigation into the present with a social
history of AIDS.Sabloff, J. A. (1997). The cities of ancient Mexico (rev. ed.).
New York: Thames & Hudson.
This well-written and lavishly illustrated book describes the
major cities of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacans,
Toltecs, and Aztecs. Following the descriptions, Sabloff dis-
cusses the question of origins, the problems of archaeological
reconstruction, and the basis on which he provides vignettes
of life in the ancient cities. The book concludes with a gazet-
teer of fifty sites in Mesoamerica.