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

Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-383) and index.

1. Introduction -- 2. The premisses of social succession -- 3. The Ecology of the Zagrosian Arc -- 4. The Origin and Growth of Villages -- 5. The heartland of cities -- 6. The institutions of urbanism -- 7. Theories of the state -- 8. From status to state -- 9. Modelling societies : modes of production -- 10. Ideology and political economy of the Mesopotamian state -- 11. Summary and owerview.

The Emergence of Civilisation is a major contribution to our understanding of the development of urban culture and social stratification in the Near Eastern region. Charles Maisels argues that our present assumptions about state formation, based on nineteenth century speculations, are wrong. His investigation illuminates the changes in scale, complexity and hierarchy which accompany the development of civilisation. The book draws conclusions about the dynamics of social change and the processes of social evolution in general, applying those concepts to the rise of Greece and Rome, and to the collapse of the classical Mediterranean world.