Bøker av Lewis Henry Morgan

"Ancient Society: Researches in the Lines of Human Progress from Savagery, through Barbarism to Civilization" is a seminal work by American anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan, first published in 1877. Morgan's book is considered a foundational text in the field of anthropology, particularly in the study of social evolution and cultural development. The central theme of "Ancient Society" revolves around Morgan's theory of social evolution, which he articulated through the concept of three successive stages: savagery, barbarism, and civilization. Morgan proposed that human societies had progressed through these stages, each marked by distinct economic, social, and technological characteristics. Savagery: In this stage, according to Morgan, societies were characterized by a reliance on hunting and gathering as their primary means of subsistence. The family, as a social institution, was organized around kinship and communal living. Technological developments during this stage included the use of simple tools and the absence of agriculture. Barbarism: The next stage, barbarism, was marked by the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals. This allowed for the establishment of settled communities and the emergence of more complex social structures. The family evolved into larger kinship groups, and advancements in technology included the use of metals. Civilization: The final stage, civilization, was characterized by the presence of advanced technologies, the development of written language, and complex social and political institutions. According to Morgan, private property and class distinctions became prominent during this stage. Morgan supported his theories with extensive research, drawing on evidence from a wide range of cultures, especially indigenous societies in North America. He also proposed a classification system for kinship terminology, which has had a lasting impact on the study of kinship relations in anthropology. While some aspects of Morgan's work have been criticized and revised over time, "Ancient Society" remains an influential text that laid the groundwork for the study of cultural evolution and anthropology. It has stimulated ongoing debates and discussions about the nature of human societies and their development.

Ancient Society: Or Researches In The Lines Of Human Progress From Savagery, Through Barbarism To CivilizationThis book is a result of an effort made by us towards making a contribution to the preservation and repair of original classic literature.In an attempt to preserve, improve and recreate the original content, we have worked towards:1. Type-setting & Reformatting: The complete work has been re-designed via professional layout, formatting and type-setting tools to re-create the same edition with rich typography, graphics, high quality images, and table elements, giving our readers the feel of holding a 'fresh and newly' reprinted and/or revised edition, as opposed to other scanned & printed (Optical Character Recognition - OCR) reproductions.2. Correction of imperfections: As the work was re-created from the scratch, therefore, it was vetted to rectify certain conventional norms with regard to typographical mistakes, hyphenations, punctuations, blurred images, missing content/pages, and/or other related subject matters, upon our consideration. Every attempt was made to rectify the imperfections related to omitted constructs in the original edition via other references. However, a few of such imperfections which could not be rectified due to intentional\unintentional omission of content in the original edition, were inherited and preserved from the original work to maintain the authenticity and construct, relevant to the work.We believe that this work holds historical, cultural and/or intellectual importance in the literary works community, therefore despite the oddities, we accounted the work for print as a part of our continuing effort towards preservation of literary work and our contribution towards the development of the society as a whole, driven by our beliefs. We are grateful to our readers for putting their faith in us and accepting our imperfections with regard to preservation of the historical content. HAPPY READING!

Drawing partly on his own fieldwork among American Indians, the author examines the kinship systems of over 100 cultures, probing for similarities and differences in their organization. In his attempt to discover particular types of marriage and descent systems across the globe, he demonstrates the centrality of kinship relations in many cultures.