The Collapse of Complex SocietiesPolitical disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will therefore strike a chord throughout the social sciences. Any explanation of societal collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all such societies in both the present and future. Dr. Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory that accounts for collapse among diverse kinds of societies, evaluating his model and clarifying the processes of disintegration by detailed studies of the Roman, Mayan and Chacoan collapses. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - AJBraithwaite - LibraryThingA really detailed analysis of the reasons for the collapse of complex societies. For my own purposes, as a general reader, perhaps it is a bit too detailed in places (lots of references to other ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - ritaer - LibraryThingTainter examines several major cultures that show a rise in complexity and expansion in territory followed by a collapse and decline. Rome is, of course, a primary example, with Mayan culture, Chaco ... Read full review
Contents
Introduction to collapse | 1 |
The nature of complex societies | 22 |
The study of collapse | 39 |
the marginal productivity of sociopolitical change | 91 |
Relationship of marginal and average product | 93 |
Average returns of agriculture | 96 |
Marginal returns of agriculture in India | 97 |
Productivity of caloric intake for increasing life expectancy | 98 |
Reductions in fuel consumption of steam engines resulting from increases in thermal efficiency | 110 |
Marginal yield in a branch of science | 113 |
The marginal product of increasing complexity | 119 |
The marginal product of increasing complexity with technological innovation or acquisition of an energy subsidy | 125 |
complexity and marginal returns in collapsing societies | 127 |
The Roman Empire at the time of Hadrian | 130 |
Roman emperors | 131 |
Debasement of the denarius from Nero to Septimius Severus | 135 |
Patent applications and issues in respect to population and scientifictechnical personnel 18701950 | 100 |
Patent applications in respect to research inputs | 101 |
Productivity of the U S health care system 193082 | 103 |
American expenditures on higher education 190060 | 104 |
Specialization in American education 18701960 | 105 |
Productivity of educational investment for the development of specialized expertise | 106 |
British Admiralty statistics 191467 | 107 |
specialization 106 Overall economic productivity 108 | 108 |
Growth of GNP per capita | 109 |
Debasement of the denarius from Nero to Septimius Severus | 136 |
Emperors and pretenders from 235 to 285 A D | 138 |
The Mayan area showing major subdivisions and selected sites | 154 |
Construction of dated monuments at Classic Maya sites | 165 |
Southern Lowland Mayan radiocarbon dates from elite contexts | 168 |
San Juan Basin and surrounding terrain | 176 |
The Chacoan regional system A D 10501175 | 181 |
Summary and implications | 193 |
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Common terms and phrases
administration agricultural areas argued army average barbarians base Basin become benefits centers central century Chacoan chapter cities civilization Classic collapse communities competition complex societies construction continued costly costs Culbert dates declining marginal returns discussed diversity dominant early economic elite emerged Emperors Empire energy established evidence example exist expansion explanations factors field forced further greater groups growth hierarchy human important included increased increasingly investment Italy Jones kilometers labor land Late later lead least less Lowlands maintain major marginal productivity Maya Mayan military monumental needs noted occur organization pattern peasant percent period political population Preclassic present problems raised reached reason regional result rise Roman Roman Empire Rome shows situation social sociopolitical Southern specialized stress successful suggests theory Tikal United Willey yield
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Collapse of Complex Societies New Studies in Archaeology |
| Author | Joseph Tainter |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 1988 |
| ISBN | 052138673X, 9780521386739 |
| Length | 250 pages |
| Subjects | › Social Science / Archaeology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |