Robert J. Wenke – författare

Who are we? How did the world become what it is today? What paths did humanity traverse along the way? Patterns in Prehistory, Fifth Edition, is a comprehensive and engaging survey of humanity's past three million years. It brings together theories and archaeological examples to pose questions about who we are and the means by which humanity evolved into what it is today.Ideal for introductory courses in world prehistory and origins of complex societies, Patterns of Prehistory, Fifth Edition, offers a unified and thematic approach to the four great transformations--or patterns--that characterize humanity's past: the origins and evolution of culture; the origins of modern humans and human behaviors; the origins of agriculture; and the origins of complex societies, civilizations, and pre-industrial states. Integrating theoretical approaches with archaeological data from the Middle East, Mesoamerica, North and South America, Egypt, China, the Indus Valley, and temperate Europe, Patterns of Prehistory, Fifth Edition, reveals how archaeologists decipher the past. It demonstrates how theory and method are combined to derive interpretations and also considers how interpretations evolve as a result of accumulating data, technological advances in recording and analyzing data sets, and newer theoretical perspectives. This new edition of Patterns of Prehistory provides: * Fresh insights with the addition of coauthor Deborah Olszewski, who has carefully reviewed and revamped the material with an eye toward making the text clearly understandable to today's students* Updated discussions throughout, including expanded information on post-processual archaeology, current methodologies, and technological advances* Approximately 250 illustrations and maps, more than half of which are new to this edition* Groundbreaking research on new discoveries of hominin fossils, genetic research, prehistoric migrations, the peopling of the Americas, and theories of the origins of agriculture and the origins of complex societies* Timelines for all relevant chapters as well as an overarching timeline for the entire book to help students place events in context* Extensively updated chapter bibliographies and chapter endnotes

This book focuses on the development of Egypt in its formative phase, from c.5200 BC, when Egyptians first began farming wheat and barley, until 2160 BC, as Egypt's central government weakened and appears to have fallen into disorder. During these millennia, which coincide with the Predynastic, Early Dynastic, and Old Kingdom periods, Egyptian civilization became increasingly complex, and many of its greatest pyramids and other monuments were built. Robert Wenke examines this cycle of ancient Egypt's development by analyzing Egyptological, anthropological, and other forms of evidence, which are set into the larger context of early civilizations that developed in various areas of the world. Written in an accessible style, with many anecdotes, quotations, and personal reflections, this book is intended for use in undergraduate and graduate courses on early civilizations and states.

This book focuses on the development of Egypt in its formative phase, from c.5200 BC, when Egyptians first began farming wheat and barley, until 2160 BC, as Egypt's central government weakened and appears to have fallen into disorder. During these millennia, which coincide with the Predynastic, Early Dynastic, and Old Kingdom periods, Egyptian civilization became increasingly complex, and many of its greatest pyramids and other monuments were built. Robert Wenke examines this cycle of ancient Egypt's development by analyzing Egyptological, anthropological, and other forms of evidence, which are set into the larger context of early civilizations that developed in various areas of the world. Written in an accessible style, with many anecdotes, quotations, and personal reflections, this book is intended for use in undergraduate and graduate courses on early civilizations and states.

This volume presents the findings of three seasons of excavation in the 1980s at Kom el-Hisn 'the mound of the fortress,' in the northwest Nile Delta. This provincial community was often in the orbit of Memphis, the capital and administrative center of Egypt's Old Kingdom Period. Small areas of occupations of the 1st Intermediate and early Middle Kingdom periods were also excavated. One of the goals of the excavations was to complement and compare the substantial ancient textual record of this era with Kom el-Hisn's archaeological record because such evidence is sparse for Lower Egypt between about 2500 and 1800 BC. The findings presented here reveal the complexity of small Old Kingdom settlements in the context of the Memphite state organization and shed light on the changing relationships of this administrative centre with its provincial communities. Kom el-Hisn's faunal, floral, lithic and architectural remains are presented and discussed in detail, as are some theoretical and methodological issues relevant to this research.