Cities, or areas served by urban infrastructure, are now habitats for the majority of the world’s people, nearly two-thirds. Can anyone doubt that this growth will continue, at least for the next few decades? As cities expand, they also morph to suit pressing needs, however various they are. What Delhi, Seoul, Tokyo, London, Mexico City, New York, and so many others will be like by the last third of the century, and how they will support their populations, is something to consider with caution.
In this context, it is well to look back on the history of ancient cities informed by new research techniques in archaeology and anthropology and track the social evolution that made those cities happen and fall. And that is what Annalee Newitz has done in Four Lost Cities, with an additional aim: to personalize the life of urban groups and the people in them as...