Primary Sources in World History: Wealth, Power, and Inequality, Prehistory to 1500, Volume 1 - Paperback

by James Farr (Author), Patrick J. Hearden (Author)

Volume 1 of this two-volume collection of primary documents covers societies across different geographical regions during the last 5,000 years. While chronologically and geographically comprehensive in scope, this reader will focus on a central theme: the unequal allocation of wealth and power both within individual societies and between different polities ranging from small city-states to large territorial empires. The selected documents reveal that people living at different times and in different places have used similar methods to achieve similar political and economic objectives. By reflecting uniformities as well as diversities in ideas and actions, these documents undermine assertions of Western intellectual, cultural, or moral superiority.

Author Biography

Professor Farr is an Emeritus and formerly Germaine Seelye Osterle Professor of History at Purdue University. He is the author of 9 books and has received numerous fellowships and teaching awards.
Patrick Hearden is an Emeritus Professor of History at Purdue University. He has authored 6 books and has been awarded numerous grants and fellowships.