ARCH 100 Lecture 6: Arch100 Week 6.2 Mesopotamia.pdf
18 Oct 2013
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The sumerians and their achievements: 3,200 2,300 bc. Chiefdoms sometimes evolved into states, but this is not inevitable. State has more layers of complexity than a chiefdom. Unlike chiefdoms, states usually have full time specialists in things like crafts, bureaucracy, religion. A big question in archaeology and the study of human history! Earlier theories focused on prime movers one or two key factors. Karl wittfogel (1920s-1950s) hydraulic theory of state development . In 1960s, larger archaeological surveys, particularly in mesopotamia and egypt, showed that early states began in riverine areas that needed minimal irrigation. Only after centuries of state expansion and population growth did states in these regions begin huge irrigation projects. Robert carneiro looked at ancient states in peruvian river valleys in 1970s. Limitations on agricultural lands meant that as populations grew, all land was taken up. Warfare between villages intensified, led to professionalization of military, conquest of all villages in a valley by one leader.
