Even Briefer

Old World Civilizations: The Rise of Cities and States

gen. ed., Goren Burenhult (New York: Harper Collins, 1994), 242 pp., $40.00

This lavishly illustrated volume, the third in a five-volume series from the American Museum of Natural History, addresses a crucial stage in human history: the growth of urban experience and the “birth” of history. Scholars from various countries review the rise of civilizations in Asia, Europe and Africa, beginning 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, where the earliest written documents were produced, and ending with the rise of new kingdoms in sub-Saharan Africa around 1500 A.D.

Intended for the general reader, the volume contains a glossary, an index and numerous maps, charts and photographs. One illustration, for instance, a photo of a cuneiform tablet with a key to its symbols, permits the untrained reader to decipher this ancient invoice for a shipment of grain and beer.

The ten chapters are organized chronologically by geographical area, allowing for easy comparison of developments in far-flung regions of the world. This handsome volume does not avoid debates about the origins of global civilizations: Were they largely products of individual genius or were they the efflorescence of many generations of communal activities? Did they develop under their own conditions and laws, like closed systems? Or were they seeded by ideas and techniques spreading from one civilization to another? As might be expected, this work provides more questions than answers, but it is still a fine introduction to the subject and a useful reference tool. Those interested in Biblical archaeology, however, will be disappointed that it mentions ancient Israel only in passing.