“This book is the most comprehensively global andcritically sensitive synthesis of what we now know of the materialand socio-cultural evolution of the so-called First Societies.Written by a distinguished architectural historian and theorist,this truly remarkable and indispensable study shows how thematerial culture of our forebears, from building to clothing, food,ritual and dance, was inextricably bound up with the mode ofsurvival obtained in a particular place and time…It is astudy that will surely become required reading for every student ofmaterial culture.”—Kenneth Frampton Starting with the dawn of human society, through earlycivilizations, to the pre-Columbian American tribes,Architecture of First Societies: A Global Perspective tracesthe different cultural formations that developed in various placesthroughout the world to form the built environment. Looking throughthe lens of both time and geography, the history of earlyarchitecture is brought to life with full-color photographs, maps,and drawings. Drawing on the latest research in archaeological andanthropological knowledge, this landmark book also looks at howindigenous societies build today in order to help inform the past.