Die Mühlen der Zivilisation

We take for granted that the Neolithic Revolution, during which nomads became farmers and herders, was a significant civilizational advancement. In his provocative book, James C. Scott develops a very different thesis: the first states emerged from control over reproduction and established a harsh regime of domestication and subjugation, which brought about epidemics, inequalities, and wars. Only the "barbarians" – the secret heroes of this book – resisted sedentarization and the new taxation systems, thereby standing against the mills of civilization.