The Archaeology of Imperial Landscapes: A Comparative Study Of Empires In The Ancient Near East And Mediterranean World

Synopsis

The Archaeology of Imperial Landscapes examines the transformation of rural landscapes and societies that formed the backbone of ancient empires in the Near East and Mediterranean. Through a comparative approach to archaeological data, it analyses the patterns of transformation in widely differing imperial contexts in the ancient world. Bringing together a range of studies by an international team of scholars, the volume shows that empires were dynamic, diverse, and experimental polities, and that their success or failure was determined by a combination of forceful interventions, as well as the new possibilities for those dominated by empires to collaborate and profit from doing so. By highlighting the processes that occur in rural and peripheral landscapes, the volume demonstrates that the archaeology of these non-urban and literally eccentric spheres can provide an important contribution to our understanding of ancient empires. The 'bottom up' approach to the study of ancient empires is crucial to understanding how these remarkable socio-political organisms could exist and persist.

Introduces a shift from classificatory approaches to ancient empires.

Provides a bottom up study of ancient empires and their hinterlands.

Presents a comparative archaeology of ancient empires that shows why empires are a meaningful category and how a comparative study of them is feasible by focusing on marginal and rural areas.

Copyright:

2018

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781108100373

Related ISBNs:

9781107189706, 9781107189706

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

Date of Addition:

06/14/18

Copyrighted By:

Cambridge University Press

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Social Studies, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.