Ancient Middle Niger :Urbanism and the Self-organizing Landscape - Case Studies in Early Societies
Ancient Middle Niger :Urbanism and the Self-organizing Landscape - Case Studies in Early Societies
hardback
Published:
29 September, 2005
hardback
Published:
29 September, 2005
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Description
The cities of West Africa's Middle Niger, only recently brought to the world's attention, make us rethink the 'whys' and the 'wheres' of ancient urbanism. The cities of the Middle Niger present the archaeologist with something of a novelty; a non-nucleated, clustered city-plan with no centralized, state-focused power. Ancient Middle Niger explores the emergence of these cities in the first millennium B.C. and the evolution of their hinterlands from the perspective of the self-organized landscape. Cities appeared in a series of profound transforms to the human-land relations and this book illustrates how each transform was a leap in complexity. The book ends with an examination of certain critical moments in the emergence of other urban landscapes in Mesopotamia, along the Nile, and in northern China, through a Middle Niger lens. Highly-illustrated throughout, this work is a key text for all students of African archaeology and of comparative pre-industrial urbanism.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780521813006 |
| ISBN10 | 052181300X |
| Number Of Pages | 278 |
| Item Weight | 574 g |
| Product Dimensions | 160 x 235 x 21 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Cambridge University Press |
| Format | hardback |
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Media Reviews
"...an impressive, path-breaking explanation of the origin of urban settlements on the Middle Niger River, climaxed by a fascinating final chapter in which the author offers a comparative overview of the archaeology of urban landscapes in Mesopotamia, the Nile valley, and northern China." -David C. Conrad, Emeritus, SUNY Oswego, American Historical Review
Author's Bio
Roderick J. McIntosh is Professor of Anthropology at Rice University and visiting Professor of Archaeology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His recent publications include The Peoples of Middle Niger: Island of Gold (1998), The Way the Wind Blows: Climate, History, and Human Action (2000) and Geomorphology and Human Palaeoecology of the Méma, Mali (2005).