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Chapter Abstracts
and concomitant floods is directly related to the regional settlement history.
Deforestation of surrounding slopes contributed to increased runoff that was
partially controlled by terracing; the abandonment of terrace systems following
population decline contributed to uncontrolled erosion and flooding.
Historical documents describe similar events following the Spanish Conquest,
which resulted in the relocation of at least one village and administrative center.
These processes contributed to severe floods in Mexico City because the
hydrological system of the Teotihuacan region drained into the lake system on
which the Colonial city was constructed.
Erosion and floods are common today in the central highlands of Mexico;
although the immediate causes may vary, inadequate management of slopes
results in proportional risks for human lives and economic infrastructure. The
transition from what was largely a rural agricultural economy to an urban-based
service-oriented economy, together with a significant increase in population
density, represents an enormous challenge to the sustainability of the Basin of
Mexico. Archaeological settlement patterns and other kinds of archaeological
and paleoecological evidence from the Teotihuacan Valley and elsewhere in the
Basin of Mexico provide important lessons for modern-day communities. This
case study suggests that urban communities integrated with productive rural
hinterlands, rather than the current model of extensive industrial corridors and
dense human settlements, contribute to greater resilience for human populations
and sustainability for the environment.
Chapter 7
Domination and Resilience in Bronze Age Mesopotamia
Tate Paulette
University of Chicago
Although Mesopotamia has long occupied a prominent position in the Western
public imagination, recent events—in particular, the US-led occupation of Iraq
and the large-scale looting of museums and archaeological sites—have drawn
the Iraqi present and the Mesopotamian past vividly into the spotlight. Images
of legendary ancient cities, now stranded in arid wastelands, and broken monuments
to kings of vanished civilizations resonate powerfully with modern
audiences, themselves increasingly uncertain about our collective future. For
a world in which environmental disaster and economic collapse loom on the
horizon, ancient Mesopotamia can provide both cautionary tales and success
stories. Recurring hazards such as drought, disease, flooding, and river channel
shifts were regularly planned for, counteracted, and endured in Mesopotamia.
Several episodes of political and economic collapse, however, testify to the precarious
balance that was sometimes struck between centralizing efforts and a
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