The rise of civilisation: Mesopotamia and Mexico

Aims

This course aims to:

• introduce today’s issues about the early development of social complexity
• introduce the study of early Mesopotamia and pre-Columbian Central Mexico
• introduce the method of comparison

Course content

Ancient pyramids and ziggurats prompt big questions for today. What is civilisation? What caused it? What are its prospects? 

‘Civilisation’ is marked by complementary divisions of technical, political and symbolic work. How did authority, responsibility and power become linked with distinctions of wealth? What were the early varieties of the state? Did they arise gradually and by consensus or were they produced by conflict and revolution; and, once established, how effective or stable were they? 

Was early civilisation wrought through leaders’ vision and policies or by sociological and geographical conditions beyond people’s control? How fundamental were geographical, technological, ethical and philosophical or religious differences between civilisations? Do sociological or political similarities in the structures and histories of ancient civilisations reveal a universal pattern of development? Where it did occur, did the rise of civilisation create seeds of its own destruction? 

Were certain causes – geographical, sociological, economic or religious – more fundamental than others? Or was the development of complex society, in one region and another, the effect of different processes among various factors? Do diverse ways of life show that the rise of civilisation was not inevitable at all? 

Comparing the archaeology of the Middle East, and specifically Sumer, with the distinct developments among the ancestors of the Aztecs and Zapotecs in Mexico enables us to appraise a range of theories in these age-old issues. Our enquiries lead over a sweep of evidence for aristocrats and commoners, town and country, housing and burials, diet and health, farming and warfare, crafts and industry, science, art and worship.

What to expect on this course

Each meeting will be based on an illustrated lecture designed to encourage discussion of the issues raised.

Course sessions

1. Early history in Mesopotamia and Mexico: Principal phases of development and causes of change; main archaeological sites

    

2. The first cities: Why people aggregated: the main sites, especially Warka and Ur, Monte Albán and Teotihuacan

    

3. Government: How larger and denser populations were organised; home affairs and foreign relations

    

4. Economy: Farming; water management; building; crafts; transport; writing

    

5. Fooling the people: ideologies: Philosophies; urban planning; monuments and tombs; visual arts; texts; myth; worship

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:

• understand the principal features and the development of distinct traditions of social complexity in the ancient world
• recognise the principal theoretical issues
• understand the method of historical comparison

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course. See Course materials for supplementary reading once registered.