Order, legitimacy, and wealth in ancient states

"This volume delineates a new comparative approach to civilizations centered around three terms, order, legitimacy, and wealth. This approach was initially developed in 1992 in an influential paper by John Baines and Norman Yoffee, comparing and contrasting the nature of social and political power in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and it was the first analysis of the impact of wealth and high culture on the development of states. Following an introductory essay on the concept of "civilization" by the editors, contributors to the present book apply the Baines/Yoffee model to a range of ancient states around the world, providing documentary and archaeological evidence on the production and uses of "high culture", literature and monumental architecture. There are chapters on Mesoamerica, the Andes, the Indus Valley, the Han Dynasty of China, and Greece during the Roman Empire, while others expand on the original Egypt-Mesopotamia comparison."--Jacket.