Urban Life in the Distant Past
The Prehistory of Energized Crowding

The book describes a novel approach to early cities that is transdisciplinary, scientific, historical, and based on social-science knowledge.

Michael E. Smith (Author)

9781009249041, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 March 2023

338 pages
26 x 18.5 x 2 cm, 0.84 kg

'This book is a good introduction to urbanism in archaeology. The content will be helpful for graduate students seeking to identify critical issues and ways to develop the discipline … and researchers within and adjacent to urban archaeology will find Smith's global approach, propositions and polemics, thought provoking. One of my favourite aspects of the book is the inclusion of 29 case studies that, crucially, include critical discussion of both empirical evidence and broader comparative insights … Already, the book has had an impact on researchers doing important work at the interface of archaeology, urbanism and sustainability.' Michael Leadbetter, Antiquity

In this book, Michael Smith offers a comparative and interdisciplinary examination of ancient settlements and cities. Early cities varied considerably in their political and economic organization and dynamics. Smith here introduces a coherent approach to urbanism that is transdisciplinary in scope, scientific in epistemology, and anchored in the urban literature of the social sciences. His new insight is 'energized crowding,' a concept that captures the consequences of social interactions within the built environment resulting from increases in population size and density within settlements. Smith explores the implications of features such as empires, states, markets, households, and neighborhoods for urban life and society through case studies from around the world. Direct influences on urban life – as mediated by energized crowding-are organized into institutional (top-down forces) and generative (bottom-up processes). Smith's volume analyzes their similarities and differences with contemporary cities, and highlights the relevance of ancient cities for understanding urbanism and its challenges today.

1. Premodern cities and the wide urban world
2. The prehistory of energized crowding
3. The size of cities and settlements
4. States, cities, and power
5. Markets, crafts, and urban life
6. Top-down insitutions and the scale of urban life
7. Generative forces and urban life
8. The value of premodern cities today.

Subject Areas: Archaeology by period / region [HDD], Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM], History of the Americas [HBJK], European history [HBJD], General & world history [HBG]