The birth of the state : ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China / Petr Charvát.

Preface; Acknowledgements; ANCIENT EGYPT; THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT; THE ROOTS AND ORIGIN OF ALL THINGS:THE PRODUCTIVE ECONOMY IN EGYPT(Neolithic Age, circa 5500-4500 BC); THE CHALCOLITHIC AGE OR BUILDINGINEQUALITY: THE BADARI CULTURE(4500-3800 BC); EMBRYONIC SIGNS OF THE STATE:NAQADA I, II AND III (4000 BC); Economy; The embryos of cities; Social differentiation: the elite and the others; Egyptian society of the pre-state period in burial rituals; LOWER EGYPT: BETWEEN THE PHARAOHAND THE RED SEA; Economy; Settlements; Burials; Beyond everyday borders: contact with Asia.

CONFRONTING THE ENEMY: NUBIATHE BURIAL OF THE FAMOUS AND POWERFULIN THE NORTHERN PART OF UPPER EGYPT:ABYDOS; BURIAL GROUNDS OF THE SOUTHERN KINGDOMOF UPPER EGYPT: AN ELITE BURIAL SITEIN HIERACONPOLIS; "SIMPLE" EGYPTIANS; THE DAWNOF THE EGYPTIAN WRITING SYSTEM; THE BIRTH OF THE EGYPTIAN STATE; STABILIZATIONOF THE EARLY EGYPTIAN STATE; CHARACTERISTICSOF THE EARLY EGYPTIAN STATE; ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA; THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT; THE DAWN OF A MORE ADVANCEDSOCIAL STRUCTURE(the Halaf culture, 6000-5000 BC); EARLY HISTORIOGRAPHY:SUSA at the Close of the 5th Millenium BC; Mausoleum of Susa.

Painted pottery of Susa: the people and their communitiesPainted pottery of Susa: the people and their work; Painted pottery of Susa: deities; Painted pottery of Susa: Why?; SUSA AT THE DAWN OF THE URUK PERIOD:FIRST REPORTS FROM THE CREATIONOF THE STATE (early 4th millenium BC); The sacral face of the age: activating fertility powers; The secular face of the age: building, protection, tradition; SUMER, THE SOUTHERN PART OF MESOPOTAMIA: WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING; Activating the potential of fertility powers; Writing! Writing?; The enchantment of cylinder seals; "You will not be like gods."

BEHOLD, CIVILIZATION:THE GREATER COMMUNITY OF THE LATE PERIODOF URUK CULTURE (3500-3200 BC) -EN, NIN, NAMESHDAEconomy: redistribution prevails; Spiritual and political leaders: EN, NIN, NAMESHDA; Innovations at the dawn of the 3rd millenium BC: LUGAL, NIN, NAMESHDA; The wise Owl of Minerva flies at dusk: the crisis of the 27th century BC and what came of it -- LUGAL, ENSI2, EN; "THE END OF THE BEGINNING":THE SUMERIAN STATE AT THE CLOSE OF THE EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD (ca. 2500-2334 BC) ; The king and his court; The powerful and revered; Careful and resourceful; "He who shackles slaves ..."

CONCLUSIONANCIENT INDIA; THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT; PREHISTORIC BEGINNINGS; THE PREPARATORY PERIOD; THE PROTO-INDIAN CULTURE(2500-1900 BC); Economy; City life; Mohenjo-daro; Harappa; Towns and cities; Rural life; A state organism?; The spiritual culture; THE DEMISE OF PROTO-INDIAN CULTURE ; ANCIENT CHINA; THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT; PREHISTORIC BEGINNINGS:"MEsOLITHIC-NEOLITHIC" -- HUNTERS, GATHERERS AND FARMERS; The Neolithic Period in southern China; THE CHALCOLITHIC PERIOD(WE ARE NO LONGER ALL EQUAL); China's Northern Regions during the Chalcolithic Period; THE BEGINNINGS OF THE STATE.

In the book titled Birth of the State, readers learn what researchers nowadays think about the rise and stabilization of the oldest statehood in the original civilization centres of the Old World - Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. The scholar takes them through essential economic, political and spiritual changes caused in those societies by the rise and stabilization of the first states. The overviews are completed with a comprehensive view of the entire theme, attempting to provide a balanced view of the rise of the oldest states not only as a question of economy, politics or power, but a.

Includes bibliographies and index.

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