Lexington Books The Evolution of the Ancient City: Urban Theory and the Archaeology of the Fertile Crescent (Comparative Urban Studies)

Urban theory and archaeology merge to create a readable discussion of how ancient cities came to be. Although many consider our modern social ills to be the consequence of Capitalism, many urban problems are traceable to pre-Capitalist times and thus are more related to Urbanization. Ancient cities shared many characteristics with modern cities. For instance, the ancient cities of Rome and Carthage at the time of Christ had population densities approaching that of Manhattan Island today. The Canaanites, fifteen hundred years before, lived in cities oriented toward trade and dependent upon mass production of such items as wine, olive oil, and the pottery to contain such goods. Over three thousand years before the Common Era, the city of Uruk was part of a larger "global system" that resembled in its own way the globalization that we know today. Cities first arose in Mesopotamia about 5,500 years ago, but for 5,500 years before the rise of cities the small agricultural village was the most complex form of human social organization-clearly there was nothing inevitable about the city. The Evolution of the Ancient City explores what we can learn of modern cities by tracing the development of ancient cities. Review As an archaeologist who deals mainly with prehistoric cultures, I was intrigued by the idea of a sociologist trying to understand how we see the evolution of complex societies. The value of archaeology is its temporal focus--we look at things in deep time. Thomas took it from the opposite direction, asking if we could go back from the present in order to understand urban origins. He does a good job summarizing Mesopotamian culture history and the evidence for the emergence of the first cities. Sociologists and other social scientists should read this book, in order to understand how history may have begun in this core area.--Canadian Studies in Population Sociologist Thomas (SUNY Oneonta) applies urban social theory and utilizes theoretical insights from sociology, anthropology, and archaeology as well as other disciplines to discuss the development of the first cities and their evolution over time. Case studies include the initial development of villages and settlement sites in the Fertile Crescent, which encompasses present-day Iraq, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Turkey. The author discusses the development of the world's first sedentary settlement on the Sea of Galilee, the agricultural revolution, the Neolithic period, the development of Mesopotamia, the Early Bronze Age, and the Middle and Late Bronze ages. Thomas's insights have relevance for contemporary debates surrounding the urbanization process, the nature of urban systems, globalization, and related concepts associated with urban studies. Of potentially significant interest to collections in urban history, urban sociology, urban planning, and urban-studies-related disciplines. Summing Up: Recommended.--CHOICE Thomas ask[s] if we could go back from the present in order to understand urban origins. He does a good job summarizing Mesopotamian culture history and the evidence for the emergence of the first cities. Sociologists and other social scientists should read this book, in order to understand how history may have begun in this core area.--Book Reviews Fascinating to read! Thomas brings a sociological perspective to the topic of how cities began, combining insights from standard urban theory with more classical sociological theory as well as anthropology and archaeology. He is able to do this partly as a result of having studied in many departments that combined the disciplines of sociology and anthropology, thus demonstrating that what most would criticize as of little value can lead to new insights and new ways of thinking. Focusing on "pristine cities" (which could not have developed in response to other urban forms), Thomas points to similarities and differences between them and current cities. He then shows