The Rise of Civilization 0716700565, 0716700557

Table of contents :
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - Perspective on the Past 1
Chapter 2 -The Environmental Background: Nature Sets the Stage 16
Chapter 3 -Cultural Background: Prologue to the Drama 50
Chapter 4 -The Origins of Agriculture: A Giant Step for Humankind 88
Chapter 5 -First Village Farmers: The Sileht Revolution 141
Chapter 6 -Development of the Village Economy: The Process Becomes Irreversible 177
Chapter 7 -The Origins of Urban Society: In Search of Utopia 214
Chapter 8 -First Strides Toward Urbanism: The Emergent City 244
Chapter 9 -The Rise of Politics and State Society: King of the Four Quarters 279

Bibliography of the Prehistoric and Protohistoric Near East 323
Index 359

Citation preview

THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION

THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION From Early Farmers to Urban Society in the Ancient Near East

Charles L. Redman State University of New York Binghamton

[E W. H. FREEMAN AND COMPANY San Francisco

library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Redman, Charles L. The rise of civilization. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Near East-Civilization. 78-1493 939 0557.R4 ISBN 0-7167-0056-5 ISBN 0-7167-0055-7 pbk.

I.

Title.

Copyright© 1978 by W. H. Freeman and Company No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America

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To MY FAMILY

PREFACE

There are many compelling reasons for studying the past. Not only is it mysterious and distant, but it is the key to unlocking our origins. Few subjects are as exciting or as interesting as the rise of civil­ ization. Men and women equipped with only simple tools faced the challenge of nature and molded out of a simple beginning a complex society. Their achievements include technical and engineering feats that amaze the experts, economic and industrial innovations that reshaped the world, and artistic and literary accomplishments that are as thrilling today as they were five thousand years ago. The period from 8000 to 2000 e.c., during which agriculture and urban life were introduced in the Near East, was a time of intense creativity and change. The events that took place then are certainly both fascinating to learn about and worthy of serious investigation. The subject of this book is the rise of civilization in the ancient Near East. Although civilizations emerged in other regions of the world, current information leads to the conclusion that food production and urban society were achieved in the Near East at least as early as they were in any other region of the world, and perhaps even earlier than anywhere else. Even if a new discovery were to reveal that these accomplishments happened earlier in another region, that would not detract from the seminal effect that Near Eastern develop­ ments had on the formation of Western Civili­ zation.

I have attempted to write this book so that it satisfies several goals. It is intended primarily for students of archeology, anthropology, and ancient history. It can be used as a basic textbook for courses on the rise of civilization, the Neolithic, or Near Eastern archeology. It is also designed to be a supplementary text or case study for general introductory courses in archeology. Although I have attempted to present the ma­ terial in this book objectively, the organization, selection of materials, and balance are affected by my own view of archeology. Hence, it is important for the reader to know what my perspective is. Essentially, I am a positivist and a pragmatist, and I view archeology from these perspectives. I believe that the important processes of the past can be known from the existing material remains, but at the same time I recognize that archeologists have yet to develop many of the techniques necessary for measuring phenomena of interest. Neverthe­ less, it seems unnecessary to wait until the potential of archeological research has been realized before writing this synthesis. The current state of knowl­ edge is subject to change, and I expect that enor­ mous strides will be taken during the next decades to fill out aspects of the picture that are now only speculative. The book is organized according to develop­ mental stages rather than strict regionalism or chronological periods. Many sections contain new syntheses for which cultural variables rather than

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site-by-site analyses are the bases. For each stage of development a few key sites are selected and described in detail as case studies with supporting photographic documentation. The intention is to combine broad coverage with in-depth treatment of existing empirical evidence and current hypoth­ eses on important innovations. Hypotheses are presented as if they were completely developed positions and in some cases as if they were in direct opposition to each other. This is more than is meant by some of their proponents who view their proposals as loosely worked out ideas that they put forth for discussion and not as their final conclusions. I have attempted to be true to their ideas and integrate them in a meaningful fashion. I apologize for any misrepresentations. There are many people and institutions that have made it possible for me to write this book and to all of them I owe a debt of gratitude. My own interest in the Near East can be traced to my family's influence and predates my career in ar­ cheology. I have been most fortunate in teachers, colleagues, and fieldwork, and have benefited greatly by working in the Near East with Llnda Braidwood, Halet µmbel, Bruce Howe, Barbara Lawrence, Arthur Jelinek, Hans Nissen, Jean Perrot, Charles Reed, Robert Stewart, Willem van Zeist, Anita Walker, Richard Watson, Gladys Wein­ berg, Saul Weinberg, and Gary Wright. In addition, Robert McC. Adams, Robert J. Braidwood, and

Patty Jo Watson have profoundly influenced my thinking and work by encouraging, advising,. criticizing, and being the all-round good friends that every young professional hopes to have. Field opportunities have been made available to me through a variety of funding institutions, in­ cluding the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. The project that enabled me to collaborate with many of the scholars mentioned above is the Joint Pre­ historic Project of the Universities of Istanbul and Chicago directed by Halet {:ambel and Robert J. Braidwood. For that opportunity I am indeed grateful. Many people have helped with various aspects of preparing this manuscript. The staff of W. H. Freeman and Company have been of great assis­ tance, especially John H. Staples. Many others have generously allowed me to use photographs and line drawings in this text. Parts or all of the book were read and constructively commented on by Robert McC. Adams, Robert J. Braidwood, J. Desmond Clark, Jack Harlan, Patty Jo Watson, Richard A. Watson, and Herbert E. Wright. To all of them and to other colleagues I am indebted for many of the ideas expressed here, although they should not be held responsible for any of the shortcomings.

January

1978

Charles L. Redman

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Perspective on the Past

Chapter 2

The Environmental Background: Nature Sets the Stage

Chapter 3

Cultural Background: Prologue to the Drama

Chapter 4

The Origins of Agriculture: A Giant Step for Humankind

Chapter S

First Village Farmers: The Sileht Revolution

Chapter 6

Development of the Village Economy: The Process Becomes Irreversible 177 ·

Chapter 7

The Origins of Urban Society: In Search of Utopia

214

Chapter 8

First Strides Toward Urbanism: The Emergent City

244

Chapter 9

The Rise of Politics and State Society: King of the Four Quarters 279

1 16

50

141

Bibliography of the Prehistoric and Protohistoric Near East Index

359

88

323

THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION

PERSPECTIVE ON THE PAST

The Agricultural and Urban Transformations as they occurred in the ancient Near East are among the truly significant milestones in the history of humankind. The social changes that these processes fostered influenced all as­ pects of society and formed the structure out of which today's world has emerged. The Near East has been selected as the geographical setting in which to exam­ ine the rise of civilization because changes took place there at a very early date, perhaps earlier than anywhere else in the world. In addition to this temporal priority, the history and prehistory of the Near East directly affected the emergence and growth of Western civilization. To fully understand the material presented in this book, it is necessary to become acquainted both with its organization and with the intellectual perspective from which it was written. T�e _ �u}:,ject matter of this book_ is cultural chan_ge, and the approach taken herein is that change is CJ gradual �M)Jili��-P�tf!QTn�!lQ!I but has aspects that are more rapid and sometimes affected by the behavior of individuals. The presentation of information on the rise of civilization is designed to put the reader in the position of a researcher. �!lckground information on environ­ '!!!Jltal _var(ables and earlier cultural developments are described_first. ti1lJ!QthJ�� to explain the cultural transformations, along with special techniques available to the researcher, are presented next. Finally, i,;f_ormatio_n ,