Cradle of civilization

About: Cradle of civilization is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 66 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1598 citations.

Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization

Abstract: This lavishly illustrated book presents a coherent and fascinating account of the Indus Valley civilization that will appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike. Kenoyer draws on the latest archaeological information from Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Dholavira, and other major sites as well as on his considerable knowledge of South Asian societies and ancient technologies. He addresses such enduring topics as the nature and role of the Indus writing system, the Indus religino as evidenced through sculpture and architecture, the political organization of Indus city-states, long-distance trade and the importance of merchants in Indus society, and the daily life of the diverse inhabitants of the cities, towns, and villages of the region.

Ancient Mesopotamia, Portrait of a Dead Civilization

Abstract: \"This splendid work of scholarship . . . sums up with economy and power all that the written record so far deciphered has to tell about the ancient and complementary civilizations of Babylon and Assyria.\" Edward B. Garside, \"New York Times Book Review\" Ancient Mesopotamia the area now called Iraq has received less attention than ancient Egypt and other long-extinct and more spectacular civilizations. But numerous small clay tablets buried in the desert soil for thousands of years make it possible for us to know more about the people of ancient Mesopotamia than any other land in the early Near East. Professor Oppenheim, who studied these tablets for more than thirty years, used his intimate knowledge of long-dead languages to put together a distinctively personal picture of the Mesopotamians of some three thousand years ago. Following Oppenheim's death, Erica Reiner used the author's outline to complete the revisions he had begun. \"To any serious student of Mesopotamian civilization, this is one of the most valuable books ever written.\" Leonard Cottrell, \"Book Week\" \"Leo Oppenheim has made a bold, brave, pioneering attempt to present a synthesis of the vast mass of philological and archaeological data that have accumulated over the past hundred years in the field of Assyriological research.\" Samuel Noah Kramer, \"Archaeology\" A. Leo Oppenheim, one of the most distinguished Assyriologists of our time, was editor in charge of the \"Assyrian Dictionary\" of the Oriental Institute and John A. Wilson Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Chicago.\

The rise of civilization in India and Pakistan

Abstract: List of tables and figures Preface 1. Archaeology in South Asia Part I. Constituent Elements: 2. Prehistoric environments 3. The earliest South Asians 4. Hunter-gatherers and nomadic pastoralists 5. The first agricultural communities Part II. Indus Urbanism: 6. The early Indus period 7. The mature Indus civilization - I 8. The mature Indus civilization - II Part III. The Legacy of the Indus Civilization: 9. The aftermath of the Indus civilization in the Indus and Ganges systems 10. The aftermath of the Indus civilization in Peninsular India 11. The arrival of Indo-Aryan speaking people and the spread of the Indo-Aryan languages 12. The Iron Age and the emergence of classical Indian civilization 13. Subcontinental unity and regional diversity Select general bibliography Index.

Ancient Mesopotamia at the Dawn of Civilization: The Evolution of an Urban Landscape

Abstract: The alluvial lowlands of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern Mesopotamia are widely known as the 'cradle of civilization' owing to the scale of the processes of urbanization that had taken place in the area by the second half of the fourth millennium BC.In "Ancient Mesopotamia at the Dawn of Civilization", Guillermo Algaze draws on the work of modern economic geographers to explore how the unique river-based ecology and geography of the Tigris-Euphrates alluvium impacted the development of urban civilization in southern Mesopotamia. He argues that these natural conditions granted southern polities significant competitive advantages over their landlocked rivals elsewhere in Southwest Asia, most importantly the ability to easily transport commodities.In due course, this resulted in increased trade and economic activity and higher population densities in the south than were possible elsewhere. As southern polities grew in scale and complexity throughout the fourth millennium, revolutionary new forms of labor organization and record keeping were created, and it is these socially created innovations, Algaze argues, that ultimately account for why fully developed city-states emerged earlier in southern Mesopotamia than elsewhere in Southwest Asia or the world.