Page 4 - David Webster News Today

In the rain forests of mesoamerica, the ancient maya created magnificent citystates. Here three Million People once lived. In the earliest cradle of civilization, ancient mesopotamian farmers once made these deserts bloom. Halfway around the world, in california, are clues to understanding the fall of mesopotamia, as farmers here struggle to overcome a threat to this fertile garden land. The ruins of ancient societies may hold keys to our own survival as, out of the past, archaeologists explore ...

We humans are social animals. Our need to communicate is universal. Some of our messages can be easily understood. But we communicate, too, through abstract symbols that have meaning only within a particular culture. These symbols take many forms. The flag is a symbol. A gesture says, were number one. The uniform is a symbol that identifies the official and the player. The game itself is symbolic ritualized combat with clearly defined rules. Even sound can be a symbol. [ whistle blows ] the whis...

Such economic specialization here and elsewhere evolved over thousands of years. They are studying the evolution of specialization as they uncover details of ancient economies around the world. In the maya city of copan, a jeweler fashioned rare shell and jade for his powerful lord. In mexico, living artisans echo the economy of a vanished civilization. And in teotihuacan, evidence of mass production has now been unearthed. Tiny faces of clay reflect the men and women who made them a thousand ye...

Human beings are all one species. We are all equally capable of language, creativity, and thought. The differences among us lie in our cultures, 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 simpl...

Human beings are all one species. We are all equally capable of language, creativity, and thought. The differences among us lie in our cultures, 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 simpl...

Emperor Marcus Aurelius ruled 50 Million People on three continents when he immortalized himself in bronze and gold. Now, in the ruins of the roman empire, scholars grapple with an ageold question how does any one leader acquire so much power . From the tribes of highland new guinea and the chiefdoms of the american northwest, to the kingdoms of the ancient maya, archaeologists trace the evolution of human leadership. Theirs is a journey through time seeking clues to the emergence of the state. ...

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 pyramid...

Halfway around the world, in california, are clues to understanding the fall of mesopotamia, as farmers here struggle to overcome a threat to this fertile garden land. The ruins of ancient societies may hold keys to our own survival as, out of the past, archaeologists explore one of the greatest of mysteries the decline and fall of grand civilizations. Mission control ignition. And liftoff. Liftoff. Keach for more than five millennia, humankind has seemed to dominate earth, both creating and des...

And thought. The differences among us lie in our cultures, 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 ...

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 r...