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.

Early Civilizations of the Old World traces the development of civilization in Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, India and China from before the Neolithic period to the emergence of the State. In each case the ecological and economic background to growth, geographical factors, cross-cultural intersection and the rise of urbanism are examined, explaining how particular forms of social structure and cultural interaction developed. In its broad scope and comparative approach this accessible volume is a well-evidenced study of the birth of civilization from the Mediterranean to the Far East.
Why are the characteristics of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages peculiar to each region and why is each region's trajectory unique? Discussing hundreds of sites in detail, this volume challenges the traditional sequence of band-tribe-chiefdom-state in the rise of complex societies, and proposes new evolutionary pathways and mechanisms. It demonstrates that Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic societies can be more complex than is usually thought; conversely, that large complex societies can flourish without social classes and the state, as dramatically shown by the Indus Civilization, analysed here in depth.

The transition from foraging, farming and the neolithic village to the city-state is a complex and fascinating period. Studies on the prehistory of the Near East by nineteenth and twentieth century pioneers in the field transformed archaeology through the creation of the 'Ages System' of Stone, Bronze and Iron. The Near East provides a developmental account of this period contextualised by discussion of the emergence of archaeology as a discipline.
The Near East details the causes and effects - enviromental, organizational, demographic and technological - of the world's first village farming cultures some eight thousand years ago. Charles Maisels explains how cities such as Uruk and Ur, Nippur and Kish formed as a result of geological factors and the role of key organizational features of Sumerian society in introducing the world's first script, system of calculation and literature.

"The Emergence of Civilisation" is a 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 19th-century speculations, are wrong. His investigation illuminates the changes in scale, complexity and hierarchy which accompany the development of civilization. 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.

In "The Near East: Archaeology in the "Cradle of Civilization', Charles Maisels charts the emergence of modern archaeology from antiquarianism and anthropology during the 19th century. He examines the intellectual background which created the Ages System of Stone, Bronze and Iron and which first organized archaeology as an historical discipline, highlighting the work of 19th and 20th century pioneers in the field whose skill and imagination provided the basis of what we know of Near Eastern prehistory. Charles Maisels' research provides a straightforward developmental account of the period which saw the transition from foraging, farming and neolithic village to city-state. He details the causes and effects - environmental, organizational, demographic and technical - which resulted in the world's first village farming cultures some 8000 years ago. Beyond this, he explains how cities such as Uruk and Ur, Nippur and Kish formed by exceptional nucleation on the arid silt plains between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, in what is now Iraq.

In this new paperback edition of Early Civilizations of the Old World, Charles Keith Maisels traces the development of some of the earliest and key civilizations in history. In each case the ecological and economic background to growth, geographical factors, cross-cultural intersection and the rise of urbanism are examined, explaining how particular forms of social structure and cultural interaction developed from before the Neolithic period to the time of the first civilizations in each area.
This volume challenges the traditional assumption of a band-tribe-chiefdom-state sequence and instead demonstrates that large complex societies can flourish without social classes and the state, as dramatically shown by the Indus civilization. Such features as the use of Childe's urban revolution theory as a means of comparison for each emerging civilization and the discussion of the emergence of archaeology as a scientific discipline, make Early Civilizations of the Old World a valuable, innovative and stimulating work.