First Cities (Exploring the Ancient World)

Rating:
Summary: AN EXCELLENT WINDOW ONTO LIFE IN ANCIENT CITIES
Review: I read this book as part of a seminar in urban anthropology. I came away from the experience satisfied with the book's effective organization and lovely photographic material. The author, a noted Mayan archaeologist, covers vast amounts of archaeological and historical data on the development of early cities in a surprisingly succint and clear narrative. "First Cities" is a must read for the layperson with interest in ancient history as well as for budding scholars of urban archaeology.

Rating:
Summary: Same old, same old
Review: This is a superficial review of several of the early civilizations around the world. The title is misleading - instead of "First cities" this book should be called "Early civilizations," since the focus is on entire civilizations/cultures and not on cities or urban settlements per se. The coverage of cities and urbanism is superficial and brief. As a review of early civilizations, the book covers the same material found in many other books, with little that is new or interesting. There are few errors of fact.