The emergence of civilization : from hunting and gathering to agriculture, cities, and the state in the Near East /

Deals with the rise of cities and states in the lower Tigris and Euphrates alluvium; thus, it is something of an archaeological text covering much the same ground as others, for example, Charles Redman's Rise of Civilization (1978). But unlike most texts, this work attempts a broader essay on the nature of human society and the forces that transform it. The results are not entirely clear. There is much of interest to the specialist or advanced student, particularly in the review of shifting settlement systems and population trends. Maisels brings to bear a wide range of current anthropological theory as well as data from other geographic regions. The problem is that occasionally these excursions intrude: it is not always clear, for example, why we need a lengthy discussion of Burmese lineage organization or the "Asiatic mode of production." Still, this is a book that will challenge advanced students, particularly those coming to Near Eastern archaeology from fields other than anthropology. The anthropologist reader might prefer a somewhat tighter synthesis with fewer inconclusive forays into general theory. -D. G. Bates, Hunter College, CUNY