A comparative study of thirty city-state cultures: an investigation conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre.

JAMES, N. ; BRODIE, NEIL ; STODDART, SIMON 等

MOGENS HERMAN HANSEN (ed.). A comparative study of thirty city-state cultures: an investigation conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre (Royal Danish Academy of Sciences & Letters Historisk-filosofiske Skrifter 21). 636 pages, 95 figures, 8 tables. 2000. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Polis Centre; 8707876-177-8 (ISSN 0023-3307) hardback Kr600.

Dr HANSEN has assembled essays by historians and archaeologists to assess the nature of `city states' and consider the role of the cities in world history. They include 11 on the ancient and Classical world, six on the Middle Ages and early Modern period in Europe, seven case-studies from Asia, seven from Africa, and three from Mesoamerica. Not surprisingly, the diversity seems baffling; but, reviewing previous literature as well as his own assembly of contributions, and concentrating on political organization, Dr HANSEN identifies recurrent historical and geographical patterns and distinguishes city states proper from states which incorporated distinct urban communities. Allowance has to be made for problems of definition and commensurability between different studies -- as Dr HANSEN is aware. He concludes that `Republicanism and federalism' today `stem from city-state cultures' (pp. 615-16). All but three of the papers are in English (two in French, one German). See too NEILS in `Greeks and Romans' and MARTIN & GRUBE in `Mesoamerica', below.

The Metropolitan Museum marked the millennium with a beautifully produced survey of fine art around the world 2000 years ago -- Year One -- illustrated from its own collection. The biggest proportion is devoted to the Roman Empire but South and East Asia are respectably represented too. The focus is on the objets but a few maps and photographs of monuments hint at context.

The breakout is based on pieces first published in the house magazine of the Harvard Anthropology Department and Peabody Museum. With an essay of the editor's on the history of thinking about the origins of civilization and one by M.T. Larsen on `Orientalism and Near Eastern archaeology', it comprises seven chapters covering the Middle East, the Harappan and China (on the latter, both K.C. Chang and G.R. Willey) plus M. Hammond on Indo-European democracy, L. Schele on the Maya and D. Maybury-Lewis on dualism and secularism. These thought-provoking little pieces reward scholars and laity alike. Compare TUZIN in `Theory', above.