Uruk 1-2

Liverani gives a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the beginnings of past work on the nascence of the first state as well as the origins of the ancient Near East. While his writing can be somewhat pedagogical and dense at times, his thorough explanations and logical sequences through events and innovations outweigh the occasional obscurity of his text.

As research into the formation of the first state began earlier than Liverani’s work, there were a number of different scholars and theorists who proposed different ideas and models on what brought about its rise. As a result, these explanations conflict with each other or are simply invalid in their application to ancient civilizations as opposed to more modern ones. Liverani compares these erroneous theories and gives evidence as to which are sound and which are not suitable. He states that Heichelheim’s proposition of the origin of economy in the ancient Near East is false, mainly because his theories were anachronistic with the era as a result of his living in a post-Industrial Revolution world where classical economic theory was dominant (Liverani 8). Liverani also explains the change in the approach to finding the origin of the state in explaining the shift in thought from evolutionism, which emphasized “revolutionary breaks”, to neo-evolutionism, which focused on continuity and broader changes (Liverani 9). This shift in approach provides a general explanation for the inaccuracy of earlier theories compared to newer ones that are more welcoming and expansive in their synthesis of data.

The explanation and evidence Liverani gives to support the importance of technological advancements and social change in bringing about the creation of the first city-state is both comprehensive and thorough. While individual technical innovations such as mass threshing and planting techniques and higher crop yield through increased irrigation efficiency were impressive in their own right, it was their combination with social changes that helped bring about the rise of the state. Liverani begins with the technical aspects and logically explains how the surplus of food and its consequent redistribution brought about changes in social structure and the creation of a centralized administration (Liverani 24). By outlining specifically the cause and effect nature of these developments, Liverani clearly exposes the foundations of the state.

The stuffiness of the text at times can make understanding difficult however as a large amount of information is concentrated into only a few lines. Liverani’s writing is probably like this as a result of his being a specialist in ancient Near Eastern history as well as his intent in writing to other specialists as well as wider audiences, the former of which can be deduced from his disproving of theories and formulations of new ideas. Despite this, the information is top-notch and is not lacking in detail.