Ancient Middle Niger Urbanism and the Self-Organizing Landscape |
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| Author:
| McIntosh, Roderick J. |
| Series title: | Case Studies in Early Societies Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-521-81300-6 |
| Publication Date: | Sep 2005 |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | AUD $133.95 |
Book Description:
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The cities of Middle Niger, although the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa, are the most recently 'discovered' of all the an cient urban civilisations known to archaeology. Emerging in the first millennium BC, they were marked by a unique non-nucleated, clustered city plan and by the absence of kingship or centralised state-focused power. This innovative survey explores the origins and development of these cities, comparing them with the indigenous urban landscapes of Mesopotamia, the Nile...
More DescriptionThe cities of Middle Niger, although the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa, are the most recently 'discovered' of all the an cient urban civilisations known to archaeology. Emerging in the first millennium BC, they were marked by a unique non-nucleated, clustered city plan and by the absence of kingship or centralised state-focused power. This innovative survey explores the origins and development of these cities, comparing them with the indigenous urban landscapes of Mesopotamia, the Nile valley and northern China, making us rethink cherished beliefs about the 'whys' and 'wheres' of ancient urbanism.