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This engaging volume critically examines previous theories of collapse of ancient complex societies and offers a new one, that of social hubris. The concept is evaluated through examination of ancient Egypt, Rome, Maya, and others.
List of contents
Preface 1. Introduction: Social Hubris 2. Why Agriculture? 3. The Environment 4. Case Study: The Maya 5. Agricultural Systems 6. Case Study: Mesopotamia 7. Trade Systems 8. Case Study: Rome 9. Social Organization 10. Case Study: Egypt 11. Unexpected Catastrophes 12. Case Study: Aztec and Inca 13. Where This Leaves Us References Index About the Author
About the author
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.
Summary
This engaging volume critically examines previous theories of collapse of ancient complex societies and offers a new one, that of social hubris. The concept is evaluated through examination of ancient Egypt, Rome, Maya, and others.
Additional text
"Across the first 12 chapters of his book, Why did ancient civilizations fail?, Scott Johnson focuses squarely on societies of the past: the Maya, Mesopotamia, Rome, Egypt, the Aztecs and Incas. His final chapter, however, turns to ‘Where we are today’—or perhaps more accurately, what we should be doing today if we wish to avoid the same fate as earlier civilisations."— Robert Witcher, Antiquity
