Beneath an intricate complex of dwellings archaeologists are uncovering startling evidence of family life. And in italy as archaeologists explore the ruins of pompeii new investigations shed light on the nature of the roman family and the surprising role of slaves. Who do we live with and why . What can these ancient families tell us about our own families . Around the world, archaeologists are looking far beyond the palaces and temples into the households of Common People bringing families to life out of the past. Come forward all the way. Oooh thats it. Good. Hold on me. Come forward. Ease the baby out with little pushes. Come on. You can do it. Beautiful the babys coming up to you. Waaahh keach every newborn child immediately confronts three basic needs food, shelter and education. In the beginning these needs are met at home. But in industrial societies, that soon changes. Teacher times three. We educate our children in schools. How would you read this number . 21,000. Youre gettin
In the forests and jungles of other realms, maya kings rule great cities with the force of their own personalities. They build temples and huge stone billboards to prop up royal dynasties that have little actual power. They perform gruesome rituals that require the skins of other people. They go to war and capture players for their ball games games where the losers never play again. Today, inside ancient pyramids archaeologists face real danger to bring the story of these kings and their politics out of the past. Before the arrival of europeans two extraordinary civilizations flourished in mesoamerica. Both the aztecs and the maya had cultures of startling sophistication, and political systems that were enormously complex. Archaeologists are intrigued by ancient political systems. They want to know how these systems were organized and how they evolved. Archaeologist Arthur Demarest. Throughout the course of Human History societies have bece ever more complex. Political systems have dev
Our beliefs, how we organize our societies and how we make our living. Humans have populated every environment on earth. We live on the frozen tundra and in the searing deserts. We live in thriving cities of millions and in isolated camps of a few dozen. Some societies seem simple because they are small and their members are selfsufficient and use simple tools. Others seem complex because they have large populations and people depend on each other for food and goods and use sophisticated technology. In between, there is a range that fills the spectrum. All of these differences are cultural, Learned Behavior the result of a complex interaction between our inventiveness and our natural environments. As we search for new horizons, our inventiveness thrusts us across the boundaries of space into new worlds. This new view of earth dispels an ancient myopia the artificial boundaries of our states and the politics that often divide us. Here is a vision of one planet and one family of humankin
At vacation retreats in ancient mexico, aztec kings bathe while their armies sack and burn a remote town. Thousands of captives are marched to the capital where their hearts are offered to gods who sanctioned conquest. Every city and town in the empire pays tribute in exact amount and kind as specified by the aztecs or risks horrible consequences. In the forests and jungles of other realms, maya kings rule great cities with the force of their own personalities. They build temples and huge stone billboards to prop up royal dynasties that have little actual power. They perform gruesome rituals that require the skins of other people. They go to war and capture players for their ball games games where the losers never play again. Today, inside ancient pyramids archaeologists face real danger to bring the story of these kings and their politics out of the past. Before the arrival of europeans two extraordinary civilizations flourished in mesoamerica. Both the aztecs and the maya had culture
With the force of their own personalities. They build temples and huge stone billboards to prop up royal dynasties that have little actual power. They perform gruesome rituals that require the skins of other people. They go to war and capture players for their ball games games where the losers never play again. Today, inside ancient pyramids, archaeologists face real danger to bring the story of these kings and their politics out of the past. Before the arrival of europeans, two extraordinary civilizations flourished in mesoamerica. Both the aztecs and the maya had cultures of startling sophistication, and political systems that were enormously complex. Archaeologists are intrigued by ancient political systems. They want to know how these systems were organized and how they evolved. Archaeologist Arthur Demarest. Throughout the course of human history, societies have bece ever more complex. Political systems have developed some successfully, expanding and growing, while othersecline an