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This engaging volume offers a new theory of collapse, that of social hubris. Hubris blinds people to evidence that would allow them to adapt. Comprehensive and well-written, this volume serves as an ideal text for undergraduate courses on ancient complex societies, as well as appealing to the scholar interested in societal collapse. This book-evaluates current theories on the collapse of ancient societies and discusses why they are incomplete in their ability to explain the failure of past civilizations;-concludes that the population and leadership must have been aware impending collapse at some point, but acted too late to reorganize and sustain their way of life;-demonstrates the theory through examination of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Roman, Maya, Inca, and Aztec societies, with implications for contemporary societies.
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