Cannibals and Kings: Origins of CulturesIn this brilliant and profound study the distinguished American anthropologist Marvin Harris shows how the endless varieties of cultural behavior -- often so puzzling at first glance -- can be explained as adaptations to particular ecological conditions. His aim is to account for the evolution of cultural forms as Darwin accounted for the evolution of biological forms: to show how cultures adopt their characteristic forms in response to changing ecological modes. "[A] magisterial interpretation of the rise and fall of human cultures and societies." -- Robert Lekachman, Washington Post Book World "Its persuasive arguments asserting the primacy of cultural rather than genetic or psychological factors in human life deserve the widest possible audience." -- Gloria Levitas The New Leader "[An] original and...urgent theory about the nature of man and at the reason that human cultures take so many diverse shapes." -- The New Yorker "Lively and controversial." -- I. Bernard Cohen, front page, The New York Times Book Review |
Contents
3 | |
Murders in Eden | 13 |
The Origin of Agriculture | 27 |
The Origin of War | 45 |
Proteins and the Fierce People | 67 |
The Origin of Male Supremacy and of the Oedipus Complex | 81 |
The Origin of Pristine States | 101 |
The PreColumbian States of Mesoamerica | 127 |
Forbidden Flesh | 193 |
The Origin of the Sacred Cow | 211 |
The Hydraulic Trap | 233 |
The Origin of Capitalism | 249 |
The Industrial Bubble | 271 |
Epilogue and Moral Soliloquy | 287 |
Acknowledgments References and Notes | 295 |
Bibliography | 307 |
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Common terms and phrases
agriculture American ancient animal protein archaeologists Aztec band and village became Bunyoro Butzer calories cannibalism cattle central Chagnon chiefs China Chinese combat complex cost/benefits costs crops cultural death decline depletion despite early eating ecological Egypt empires enemy Europe evolution explain farming feast female infanticide feudal flesh forest goats grain human sacrifice hunter-collectors hunters hunting hydraulic increase India intensification Iroquois irrigation Israelites kill king labor land MacNeish male supremacist matrilineal matrilocal Maya meat Mesoamerica Mesopotamia Mexico mode of production mumi natural Old World Olmec paleolithic peasants percent Petén plants political polygyny population density population growth practice pre-state prisoners protein redistributive region reproductive pressures Richard MacNeish rise ritual River role sex ratio slaughter species standard of living stone age taboo Tehuacán temples Teotihuacán theory Tikal tion Trobriand upper paleolithic Valley Valley of Mexico village societies Wittfogel women Yanomamo zones