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Goliath's curse : the history and future of societal collapse / by Kemp, Luke,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A radical retelling of human history through collapse -- from the dawn of our species to the urgent existential threats of the twenty-first century and beyond. Why do civilisations collapse? Is human progress possible? Are we approaching our endgame? For the first 200,000 years of human history, hunter-gathering Homo sapiens lived in fluid, egalitarian civilizations that thwarted any individual or group from ruling permanently. Then, around 12,000 years ago, that began to change. As we reluctantly congregated in the first farms and cities, people began to rely on novel lootable resources like grain and fish for their daily sustenance. And when more powerful weapons became available, small groups began to seize control of these valuable commodities. This inequality in resources soon tipped over into inequality in power, and we started to adopt more primal, hierarchical forms of organization. Power was concentrated in masters, kings, pharaohs and emperors (and ideologies were born to justify their rule). Goliath-like states and empires -- with vast bureaucracies and militaries -- carved up and dominated the globe. What brought them down? Whether in the early cities of Cahokia in North America or Tiwanaku in South America, or the sprawling empires of Egypt, Rome and China, it was increasing inequality and concentrations of power that hollowed these Goliaths out before an external shock brought them crashing down. These collapses were written up as apocalyptic, but in truth they were usually a blessing for most of the population. Now we live in a single global Goliath. Growth obsessed, extractive institutions like the fossil fuel industry, big tech and military-industrial complexes rule our world and produce new ways of annihilating our species, from climate change to nuclear war. Our systems are now so fast, complex and interconnected that a future collapse will likely be global, swift and irreversible. All of us now face a choice -- we must learn to democratically control Goliath, or the next collapse may be our last"--
Subjects: Civilization.; Regression (Civilization); Regression (Civilization); Social change.;

Earth's natural wonders. [videorecording] / by Aldous, Jane,television producer.; Leven, Russell,1974-film director.; Sampson, Jobim,television producer.; PBS Distribution (Firm),distributor.; Public Broadcasting Service (U.S.),broadcaster,publisher.;
Earth's Natural Wonders are parts of the natural world that nature has carved on an almost unbelievable scale, from vast mountain ranges to impenetrable rainforests and dazzling tropical islands, where nature is visible at its most primal, most powerful, and most extraordinarily beautiful. For human beings, survival within these wonders can pose extraordinary challenges.E.DVD, widescreen presentation ; NTSC; stereophonic ; region 1.
Subjects: Documentary television programs.; Nature television programs.; Nonfiction television programs.; Video recordings for the hearing impaired.; Natural history.; Nature and civilization.;
For private home use only.

Germany : memories of a nation / by MacGregor, Neil,1946-; BBC Radio 4.; British Museum.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.For the past 140 years, Germany has been the central power in continental Europe. Twenty-five years ago a new German state came into being. How much do we really understand this new Germany, and how do its people now understand themselves? This book covers five hundred years of German history.
Subjects: Material culture;

Istanbul : city of majesty at the crossroads of the world / by Madden, Thomas F.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.LSC

A history of just about everything : 180 events, people and inventions that changed the world / by MacLeod, Elizabeth,1958-; Wishinsky, Frieda.; Leng, Qin.;
An overview and time line of all the great events, people, and inventions that changed history, including information on their ongoing impact.LSC
Subjects: World history; Civilization; Inventions;
© c2013., Kids Can Press,

Humankind : a hopeful history / by Bregman, Rutger,1988-author.; Manton, Elizabeth,translator.; Moore, Erica,translator.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."If one basic principle has served as the bedrock of bestselling author Rutger Bregman's thinking, it is that every progressive idea -- whether it was the abolition of slavery, the advent of democracy, women's suffrage, or the ratification of marriage equality -- was once considered radical and dangerous by the mainstream opinion of its time. With Humankind, he brings that mentality to bear against one of our most entrenched ideas: namely, that human beings are by nature selfish and self-interested. By providing a new historical perspective of the last 200,000 years of human history, Bregman sets out to prove that we are in fact evolutionarily wired for cooperation rather than competition, and that our instinct to trust each other has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. Bregman systematically debunks our understanding of the Milgram electrical-shock experiment, the Zimbardo prison experiment, and the Kitty Genovese "bystander effect." In place of these, he offers little-known true stories: the tale of twin brothers on opposing sides of apartheid in South Africa who came together with Nelson Mandela to create peace; a group of six shipwrecked children who survived for a year and a half on a deserted island by working together; a study done after World War II that found that as few as 15% of American soldiers were actually capable of firing at the enemy. The ultimate goal of Humankind is to demonstrate that while neither capitalism nor communism has on its own been proven to be a workable social system, there is a third option: giving "citizens and professionals the means (left) to make their own choices (right)." Reorienting our thinking toward positive and high expectations of our fellow man, Bregman argues, will reap lasting success. Bregman presents this idea with his signature wit and frankness, once again making history, social science and economic theory accessible and enjoyable for lay readers"--
Subjects: Human beings.; Philosophical anthropology.; Human behavior.; Civilization; World history.;

Everyday life in the ancient world / by Ferris, Julie; Reid, Camilla.; Stroud, Jonathan.; Maddison, Kevin W.;
Describes the everyday life of ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Aztecs, and Incas, including transportation, clothing, food, homes, shopping and monuments.
Subjects: Civilization, Ancient; Manners and customs;
© 2002., Kingfisher,

Ancient African kingdoms / by Sheehan, Sean,1951-;
Describes different aspects of ancient African kingdoms, including their history, politics, religion, art, architecture, and everyday life.Includes bibliographical references (page 63) and index.The first kingdoms -- Ghana, Mali, Ife, and Great Zimbabwe -- Benin : the forest kingdom -- Later kingdoms -- Politics, war, and trade -- Ideas and religion -- Art, architecture, and poetry -- Everyday life -- The legacy of the kingdoms.
Subjects: Literature.; History.; Juvenile works.; Nonfiction.; Literature.; Civilization.;
© 2011., Gareth Stevens Pub.,

The Civil War : a visual history. -- by Smithsonian Institution.;
Includes Internet addresses (p. 350-351) and index.LSC
© 2011., DK Pub.,

How do we look? : the body, the divine, and the question of civilisation / by Beard, Mary,1955-author.; Beard, Mary,1955-Civilisations : how do we look : the eye of faith.;
Includes bibliographical references (page 211-226) and index."From prehistoric Mexico to modern Istanbul, Mary Beard looks beyond the familiar canon of Western imagery to explore the history of art, religion, and humanity"--
Subjects: Art and religion.; Human beings in art; Civilization.;

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