archaeopress gb (Más de 2.100 resultados)

Paperback. Condición: New. Lindskog, Daniel Ilustrador. This colouring book offers a short introduction to the world of the contemporary archaeologist, exploring new approaches and theories of investigation. With text by professional archaeologist Cornelius Holtorf and beautiful, highly detailed illustrations by archaeologically trained professional illustrator Daniel Lindskog, each page is full of information to explore, and designs to colour.

Paperback. Condición: New. Archaeological excavations at the Eleuthernian burial ground of Orthi Petra continue to yield significant elements of the archaeo-anthropological record, the subject matter of continuous interdisciplinary research, outreach, national and international acclaim. Among a plethora of features discovered, unearthing components of a unique nexus to the Geometric-Archaic Periods, was an unspoiled time capsule in astonishing contextual preservation, a hand carved tomb with a drómos into the softer bedrock material of Orthi Petra. Designated in short as contextual association A1K1, the tomb as a funerary activity area yielded a remarkable collection of jar burials in complex internal tomb stratification, containing cremated human bones accompanied by a most noteworthy assembly of burial artifacts of exquisite wealth, along a multitude of traces of "fossilized" behavior left resolutely behind by the ancients in their transactions on the paths of their perceived realities and obligations of life norms, but also of the arcane matters of afterlife. Such evidentiary data of funerary behavior in conjunction with the rest of the archaeo-anthropological record afford the opportunity to document where possible and deduce where pertinent aspects of the transitional period, overlapping the end of life's journey and the unfolding of death in light of a number of the principles, the values, and the modes that guided the lives of the ancients as mortuary habits may have the transcending power to be revealing of certain codes of ante mortem conduct, of main beliefs, of ideologies and viewpoints, characteristic of their ideational world and hence of their attitudes toward, and expectations of, post mortem life. Such understandings, based on critical and deductive thinking combined with the data offered through the scope of anthropological archaeology and forensics by the decoding of traces permanently recorded on bone and dental surfaces, construct a persuasive dialectic, regarding important facets of the human condition in Eleutherna from Geometric through Archaic times.

Paperback. Condición: New. This concise dictionary is intended to be helpful in the reading of archaeological books and publications from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages, and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and Spanish. The aim of this work is to help, in particular, students and on-site archaeologists to find quickly a word relating to a specific period, a specific area or a research field, in a book easy to carry everywhere. But this dictionary is also intended for everyone fond of archaeology, from prehistory to the Middle Ages.

Paperback. Condición: New. Continuing the Archaeopress series of pocket-sized Dictionaries of Archaeological Terms, here is a dictionary of useful terms compiled to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles, in both English and Greek. It covers Aegean prehistory through to Hellenistic and Roman times.

Paperback. Condición: New. Continuing the Archaeopress series of pocket-sized Dictionaries of Archaeological Terms, here is a dictionary of useful terms compiled to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles, in both English and Greek. It covers Aegean prehistory through to Hellenistic and Roman times.

Paperback. Condición: New. This concise dictionary is intended to be helpful in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and German. The aim of this work is to help, in particular, students and on-site archaeologists to find quickly a word relating to a specific period, a specific area or a research field, in a book easy to carry everywhere; but this dictionary is also intended for those with a general interest in archaeology wishing to broaden their vocabulary!

Paperback. Condición: New. This concise dictionary is intended to be helpful in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and Italian. The aim of this work is to help, in particular, students and on-site archaeologists to find quickly a word relating to a specific period, a specific area or a research field, in a book easy to carry everywhere; but this dictionary is also intended for those with a general interest in archaeology wishing to broaden their vocabulary!

Paperback. Condición: New. This dictionary - an assemblage of more than 10,000 archaeological words and terms - is intended to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications (from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages), and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and French. The aim is to help, in particular, students and archaeologists in the field to find quickly words relating to a specific period, a specific area, or a research field. Of course, the dictionary is also for everyone fond of archaeology, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.

Paperback. Condición: New. This dictionary - an assemblage of more than 10,000 archaeological words and terms - is intended to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications (from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages), and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and French. The aim is to help, in particular, students and archaeologists in the field to find quickly words relating to a specific period, a specific area, or a research field. Of course, the dictionary is also for everyone fond of archaeology, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.

Paperback. Condición: New. The Antonine Wall lay at the very extremity of the Roman world. For a generation, in the middle of the second century AD, it was the north-west frontier of the Roman empire. Furthermore, it was one of only three "artificial" frontiers along the European boundaries of the empire: the other two are Hadrian's Wall and the German Limes.Although the Antonine Wall fits into the general pattern of Roman frontiers, in many ways it was the most developed frontier in Europe, with certain distinct characteristics. Perhaps of greatest significance is the survival of the collection of Roman military sculpture, the Distance Slabs. These record the lengths constructed by each legion and their relationship to the labour camps allow further conclusions to be made about the work of constructing the Antonine Wall.

Paperback. Condición: New. "It's tempting to think that we can learn little from people who ate and drank, laughed and cried, between 40 and 12,000 years ago, but I think we should - because these remarkable people not only lived but survived through a period of unimaginable change on our planet." - from the foreword by Chris PackhamLiving in the Ice Age takes you on a journey through life in Ice Age Europe, and the things you'd need to know to survive! This book looks at the daily life of biologically modern humans from about 40,000 to 12,000 years ago, a time when the climate and environment were changing rapidly. Explore the types of houses, food, clothes and toys people created in the Ice Age to see whether you would have liked to live back then.

Paperback. Condición: New. Towards the end of Caesar's Gallic War, Rome had reached the Rhine. Since the campaigns under Emperor Augustus (15 B.C.), larger troop contingents were stationed along the river, with focal points around Mogontiacum/Mainz and in northern Switzerland. After the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9 AD), when the attempt to occupy all of Germania had failed, the Lower Rhine remained the frontier of the empire's territory until Late Antiquity. East of the Middle and Upper Rhine, however, the Roman sphere of power was pushed forward several times over a period of almost 200 years, and from 90 AD at the latest, the construction of artificial borders was initiated. When the Roman expansion came to an end around 160 AD, the province was secured in its furthest extension by the "Frontal" or "Outer Upper-Germanic Limes", which existed until the middle of the 3rd century. This book illustrates the historical and archaeological significance of the Upper Germanic Limes and provides an up-to-date overview of its manifold features in the field.

Paperback. Condición: New. The Roman eastern frontier stretched from the north-east shore of the Black Sea to the Red Sea. It faced Rome's formidable foe, the kingdom of Parthia, and its successor, Sasanian Persia. Rome's bulwark in antiquity was the area known as Syria or the Levant, roughly modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. To the south lay the Nabataean kingdom, annexed by Rome in 106 and formed into the province of Arabia. To the north, the Cappadocian frontier was laid out in one of the most inaccessible and remote parts of Eurasia facing extremes of climate and topography, amid a patchwork of client kingdoms. This hidden and fascinating frontier in Turkey, whose bases mostly lie under reservoirs, is the major omission from this volume and it is hoped that a more in-depth account might appear in due course. The Caucasian forts along the edge of the Black Sea are, however, part of this volume; this is perhaps Rome's least known frontier archaeologically but the subject of a unique account by Arrian when governor of Cappadocia.

Paperback. Condición: New. 2nd ed. Archaeology: What It Is, Where It Is, and How to Do It has been written as a practical introduction on the investigation of the material remains of the past which can be interpreted with contemporary historical and literary evidence. The book also explains where to find this evidence and what to do next. Many aspects of archaeological investigation are discussed, including aerial and ground survey, excavation and fieldwork, recording methods, soil sampling and small finds.

Paperback. Condición: New. Culture and Society at Lullingstone Roman Villa paints a picture of what life might have been like for the inhabitants of the villa in the late third and fourth centuries AD. The villa today, in the Darent Valley, Kent, has an unusual amount of well-preserved evidence for its interior decoration and architecture. Seventy years on from the commencement of the excavation of the site, this study draws on the original reports but also embraces innovative approaches to examining the archaeological evidence and sheds new light on our understanding of the villa's use. For the first time, the site of Lullingstone Roman Villa is surveyed holistically, developing a plausible argument that the inhabitants used domestic space to assert their status and cultural identity.An exploration of the landscape setting asks whether property location was as important a factor in the time of Roman Britain as it is today and probes the motives of the villa's architects and their client. Lullingstone's celebrated mosaics are also investigated from a fresh perspective. Why were these scenes chosen and what impact did they have on various visitors to the villa? Comparison with some contemporary Romano-British villas allows us to assess whether Lullingstone is what we would expect, or whether it is exceptional. Examples from the wider Roman world are also introduced to enquire how Lullingstone's residents adopted Roman architecture and potentially the social customs which accompanied it.

Paperback. Condición: New. Since the discovery of Britain's first Ice Age cave art in 2003, the site of Creswell Crags has gained international recognition as one of Britain's leading Ice Age sites. For the first time the history of the site is brought together in one accessible volume. Documenting the early fieldwork at the site it uncovers antiquarian discoveries such as the famous horse engraving, excavations in the 1920s that saw our understanding of our early ancestors take shape, discusses the demise of the Neanderthals and the emergence of Modern Man, and looks at how Creswell Crags grew as a heritage attraction of potential World Heritage Status. In Beyond the Ice, Matthew Beresford examines how our ancestors lived, how they hunted, examines the tools and weapons they made and, most importantly, what they left behind. The book also challenges the term 'Creswellian', an isolated British culture that occupied the fringe lands of western Europe, and instead offers hard evidence for viewing Creswell Crags and its inhabitants as being part of a vast Ice Age world. Finally, it looks at what happened right at the end of the last Ice Age and examines what the changes in climate and landscape meant to our early ancestors. Beyond the Ice will appeal as much to the general reader as it will to the student or scholar, as it raises fundamental questions and offers up interpretations that apply to us all.

Paperback. Condición: New. In 1812 the architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) wrote a strange and perplexing manuscript, Crude Hints towards an History of my House in Lincoln's Inn Fields, in which, in the guise of an Antiquary, he imagines his home as a future ruin, inspected by visitors speculating on its origins and function. Never published in his lifetime, the manuscript has been meticulously transcribed and provided with an explanatory Introduction and footnotes by Helen Dorey, Deputy Director and Inspectress of Sir John Soane's Museum. Originally published as part of an exhibition catalogue sixteen years ago, this new edition has been extensively revised and updated. The text is accompanied by nineteen illustrations, seventeen of them in full colour.

Paperback. Condición: New. 2nd ed. Archaeology: What It Is, Where It Is, and How to Do It has been written as a practical introduction on the investigation of the material remains of the past which can be interpreted with contemporary historical and literary evidence. The book also explains where to find this evidence and what to do next. Many aspects of archaeological investigation are discussed, including aerial and ground survey, excavation and fieldwork, recording methods, soil sampling and small finds.

Paperback. Condición: New. Hayfield, Simon Ilustrador. The ancient cathedral of Old Minster and the abbey church of New Minster once stood at the heart of Anglo-Saxon Winchester. Buildings of the first importance, honoured by Anglo-Saxon and Norman kings, these great churches were later demolished and their locations lost. Through an extensive programme of archaeological excavation begun in 1961, and as a result of years of research, the story of these lost minsters can now be revealed. Written by Martin Biddle, Director of the Winchester Excavations Committee and Research Unit, and marvellously illustrated by Simon Hayfield, The Search for Winchester's Anglo-Saxon Minsters traces the history of these excavations from 1961 to 1970 and shows how they led to the discovery of the Old and New Minsters, bringing back to life the history, archaeology and architecture of Winchester's greatest Anglo-Saxon buildings.

Paperback. Condición: New. Hayfield, Simon Ilustrador. The ancient cathedral of Old Minster and the abbey church of New Minster once stood at the heart of Anglo-Saxon Winchester. Buildings of the first importance, honoured by Anglo-Saxon and Norman kings, these great churches were later demolished and their locations lost. Through an extensive programme of archaeological excavation begun in 1961, and as a result of years of research, the story of these lost minsters can now be revealed. Written by Martin Biddle, Director of the Winchester Excavations Committee and Research Unit, and marvellously illustrated by Simon Hayfield, The Search for Winchester's Anglo-Saxon Minsters traces the history of these excavations from 1961 to 1970 and shows how they led to the discovery of the Old and New Minsters, bringing back to life the history, archaeology and architecture of Winchester's greatest Anglo-Saxon buildings.

Paperback. Condición: New. The frontiers of the Roman empire together form the largest monument of one of the world's greatest states. They stretch for some 7,500km through 20 countries which encircle the Mediterranean Sea. The remains of these frontiers have been studied by visitors and later by archaeologists for several centuries. Many of the inscriptions and sculpture, weapons, pottery and artefacts created and used by the soldiers and civilians who lived on the frontier can be seen in museums. Equally evocative of the lost might of Rome are the physical remains of the frontiers themselves. The aim of this series of books is not only to inform the interested visitor about the history of the frontiers but to act as a guidebook as well.The Roman military remains of Egypt are remarkable in their variety and in their state of preservation. They deserve to be better known. They include forts, quarries under the authority of the army and whose materials were used in the monumental buildings of Rome, as well as the roads which crossed the desert landscape and brought the Mediterranean into con¬tact with the Indian Ocean. It is hoped that each reader of this book will enjoy learning more about the remarkable Roman inheritance of Egypt.The full text is presented side-by-side dual-language in English and French.

Paperback. Condición: New. For over a hundred years, sand and gravel quarrying has been of enormous benefit to geology, palaeontology and archaeology - quarries have been the main source of Ice Age fossils and finds. It is because of deep excavations into Ice Age sediments that the geological sequences, the fossil remains of plants and animals, and the stone tools of Britain's earliest human inhabitants have come to light. This handbook, packed with practical information and guidance is written for all charged with caring for the natural and historic environment, geologists and archaeologists and anybody with an interest in our past and future, and not least those working in the quarry industry.

Paperback. Condición: New. James Theodore Bent (1852-1897) was an Oxford-educated archaeologist, historian and explorer who dedicated his short life to researches in the Levant and Africa. In the winters of 1882-84 he and his wife, Mabel Hall-Dare, made extended tours of the Cycladic islands and in 1885 Bent published what has become a classic account of their wanderings and discoveries in what is now one of the best-loved regions of Greece. His island-by-island journals are a fascinating insight into Greek community living at the turn of the 19th century, and the work established Bent as a traveller of note. As might be expected, most of the major sites and sights are detailed, as well as references to customs and costumes, hospitality and hardship, history, folklore and myth. No account in English, then or since, has come close in terms of scope and achievement. (On a scholarly level, Bent was the first English archaeologist to undertake serious excavation work in the region and his findings on the small island of Antiparos (included here) are still referred to in current bibliographies.) As far as the publishers are aware, no English language edition of Bent's Cyclades is currently easily available. This new edition of Bent's 1885 work is accompanied by a newly commissioned biographical introduction and a series of notes including route-planner, and historical and archaeological summaries. 'Tozer of Oxford sends me a charming book.by Theodore Bent.all about the Cyclades. (Dearly beloved child let me announce to you that this word is pronounced 'Sick Ladies,' - howsomdever certain Britishers call it 'Sigh-claides.').' (Edward Lear writes to Chichester Fortescue, Lord Carlingford [30 April 1885, San Remo]).

Paperback. Condición: New. Cecil Torr's 19th-century studies of Rhodes, in the Greek Dodecanese, off the coast of Asia Minor, were the first and most authoritative English guides to the island's multi-layered history: nothing approaching them had been attempted before. Impeccably qualified - Harrow (Arthur Evans was a class-mate), Trinity Cambridge, and Inner Temple barrister of formidable reputation - Cecil Torr had the true antiquarian's obsession for factual presentation and detailed analyses of primary sources. The result is a rock-solid account of the story of Byzantine Rhodes and the times of the Knights of St John, including the extraordinary events of the Great Siege which culminated in the Knights' expulsion from the island in 1522. First published in 1887, Rhodes in Modern Times is an historical guide to the Byzantine and medieval landscapes of Rhodes. Strolling with Torr up the 'Street of the Knights', or on the great walls of the Old Town, or around its now peaceful moat, takes you as close as you'll safely dare to the events of this front line in East/West relations of 500 years ago: a guided tour in and out of three 'time zones' - Rhodes in her medieval splendour, at the turn of the 19th century, and today. This edition of Torr's classic (recommended by Lawrence Durrell, no less, referring to ". the scholarly Englishman who has given us the best historical monograph on the island. Read him and you will see why." - "Reflections on a Marine Venus") includes an extended prologue (in Greek with English translation) by Dr Elias Kollias, a leading authority on medieval and Byzantine Rhodes. Additional sections include a biography of Cecil Torr, detailed chronologies of Rhodes' history, and a 'tour' with Torr in and around the famous Old Town.

Paperback. Condición: New. In this account, Alexandra Richardson reveals (as she says in her introduction) her quest to get to know a 'remarkable man who wholly dedicated his later life and finances to restoring and excavating what is surely one of the finest classical Greek sites in the Western Mediterranean. I rapidly began to be drawn in to the sketchy, sometimes speculative, details surrounding the remarkable Captain Hardcastle.I thought back to his unlit villa beside the theatrically shining temples, and the more I got to know the man, the more it seemed entirely in keeping with his personality that his former home should still be not be sharing the spotlight with the great monuments he was so intimately involved with. He remained a mysterious and private person who kept his own counsel throughout life. I was to discover that he wrote very few letters home to his family from the Far East, South Africa, Italy. And when he did write to the chosen few, I had to learn to read between the lines. Luckily his own family wrote to one another making mention of him.With so little to go on, it was just the sort of challenge that a researcher relishes. The Anglo-Italian theme was yet another appeal, my instinctive habitat. No full-scale biography had ever been written about him and thus I was not stepping on any toes. I had the field all to myself, piecing together a profile from many sources, set largely in a period of modern Sicilian history, the 1920s and early '30s rarely "popularised" by foreign writers. That was all how the four-year journey began.' 'This book is the labour of years of research and scholarship. In Alexandra Richardson's book, the personality of Alexander Hardcastle comes to life in all its many facets. Her detailed account of the history of Agrigento is historically correct and written in a fluid style. Her descriptions of Sicily are accurate and lyrical, her cameos of Sicilians witty and a pleasure to read. Richardson's rigorous research describes his painful and determined iter from London to Girgenti, his stubborness and his resilience.' - Simonetta Agnello Hornby, 'The Almond Picker'.

Paperback. Condición: New. "Not the shadow of a smile disturbs the dry exposition of the scholarly Englishman [Cecil Torr] who has given us the best historical monograph on the island. Read him and you will see why." (Lawrence Durrell, "Reflections on a Marine Venus"). Cecil Torr's two 19th-century studies of Rhodes, in the Greek Dodecanese, off the coast of Asia Minor, were the first and most authoritative English guides to the island's multi-layered history. Although more than a hundred years have passed since publication, the reclusive scholar's "Rhodes in Ancient Times" and "Rhodes in Modern Times" remain firmly embedded in related bibliographies. Impeccably qualified - Harrow (Arthur Evans was a class-mate), Trinity Cambridge, and Inner Temple barrister of formidable reputation - Cecil Torr had the true antiquarian's obsession for factual presentation and detailed analyses of primary sources. First published in 1885, "Rhodes in Ancient Times" is an historical and cultural guide to one of the most influential and powerful maritime states in the Mediterranean. Torr's scholarly curiosity leads him to explore the island's history, culture, myths and legends, arts, and contribution to learning in the centuries before Christ. Naturally, the celebrated Colossus is not overlooked!

Paperback. Condición: New. This book examines systematically both the theoretical and practical issues that have characterized the discipline over the past two centuries. Some of the historically most consequential mistakes in archaeology are dissected and explained, together with the effects of the related controversies. The theoretical basis of the discipline is deliberated in some detail, leading to the diagnosis that there are in fact numerous archaeologies, all with different notions of commensurability, ideologies, and purposes. Their various perspectives of what archaeology is and does are considered and the range of views of the human past is illuminated in this book. How humans became what they are today is of profound importance to understanding ourselves, both as a species and individually. Our psychology, cognition, diseases, intellect, communication forms, physiology, predispositions, ideologies, culture, genetics, behavior, and, perhaps most importantly, our reality constructs are all the result of our evolutionary history. Therefore the models archaeology-especially Pleistocene archaeology-creates of our past are not just narratives of what happened in human history; they are fundamental to every aspect of our existence.

Paperback. Condición: New. James Theodore Bent (1852-1897) was an Oxford-educated archaeologist, historian and explorer who dedicated his short life to researches in the Levant and Africa. In the winters of 1882-84 he and his wife, Mabel Hall-Dare, made extended tours of the Cycladic islands and in 1885 Bent published what has become a classic account of their wanderings and discoveries in what is now one of the best-loved regions of Greece. His island-by-island journals are a fascinating insight into Greek community living at the turn of the 19th century, and the work established Bent as a traveller of note. As might be expected, most of the major sites and sights are detailed, as well as references to customs and costumes, hospitality and hardship, history, folklore and myth. No account in English, then or since, has come close in terms of scope and achievement. (On a scholarly level, Bent was the first English archaeologist to undertake serious excavation work in the region and his findings on the small island of Antiparos (included here) are still referred to in current bibliographies.) As far as the publishers are aware, no English language edition of Bent's Cyclades is currently easily available. This new edition of Bent's 1885 work is accompanied by a newly commissioned biographical introduction and a series of notes including route-planner, and historical and archaeological summaries. 'Tozer of Oxford sends me a charming book.by Theodore Bent.all about the Cyclades. (Dearly beloved child let me announce to you that this word is pronounced 'Sick Ladies,' - howsomdever certain Britishers call it 'Sigh-claides.').' (Edward Lear writes to Chichester Fortescue, Lord Carlingford [30 April 1885, San Remo]).

Paperback. Condición: New. Revised ed. Christopher Wordsworth (1807-85), the "Great Christopher" of Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge, was a nephew of William the poet, and brother to the student who launched the University Boat Race. In 1832 he took a gap-year, after his brilliant studies in ancient Greek and Latin classics, to travel back in time over two thousand years to Pericles' Athens. The account of his tour, Athens and Attica (1836), is still the perfect scholarly companion to the history, topography, and myths of an area compact in dimension yet vast in terms of its contribution to Western civilization. "The Bazaar or Market at Athens is a long street. Looking up you command a view of the commodities. Barrels of black caviar, small pocket-looking-glasses in red pasteboard cases, onions, tobacco piled up in brown heaps, black olives, figs strung together upon a rush, pipes with amber mouthpieces and brown clay bowls, silver-chased pistols, dirks, belts, and embroidered waistcoats. Such is the present state of Athens.a few Turks still doze in the archways of the Acropolis, or recline while smoking their pipes, and leaning with their backs against the rusty cannon. A few days ago the cannon of the Acropolis fired the signal of the conclusion of the Turkish Ramazam - the last which will ever be celebrated in Athens." - Christopher Wordsworth, 1832.

Paperback. Condición: New. Ancient states were rooted in agriculture, sedentism and population growth. They were fragile and prone to collapse, but there is no consensus on the causes or meaning of collapse, and there is an ongoing debate about the importance, nature and even existence of state-wide collapse.Explanations of collapse in terms of the competing mono-causal factors are found inferior to those incorporating dynamic, interactive systems. It is proposed that collapse should be explained as failure to fulfil the ancient state's core functions: assurance of food supplies, defence against external attack, maintenance of internal peace, imposition of its will throughout its territory, enforcement of state-wide laws, and promotion of an ideology to legitimise the political and social status quo.To fulfil these functions certain necessary conditions must be met. The legitimacy of the political and social status quo, including the distribution of political power and wealth, needs to be accepted; the state should be able to extract sufficient resources to fulfil its functions such as defence; it must be able to enforce its decisions; the ruling elite should share a common purpose and actions; the society needs to reflect a shared spirit (asibaya) and purpose across elites and commoners who believe it is worthy of defence.Weaknesses and failure to meet any condition can interact to exacerbate the situation: maladministration, corruption and elite preoccupation with self-aggrandisement can induce fiscal weakness, reduced military budgets and further invasion; it can induce neglect of key infrastructures (especially water management). Inequality, a commonly neglected factor despite ancient texts, can erode asibaya and legitimacy and alienate commoners from the defence of the state.These themes are explored in relation to the Egyptian Old Kingdom, Mycenae, the Western Roman Empire (WRE), and the Maya. They all exhibit, to varying degrees, weaknesses in meeting the above conditions necessary for stability.