Pre-Industrial Societies : Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World (Updated ed)

Here, historian Patricia Crone offers a blueprint for a world now lost, outlining the common features of Islamic, Indian, Chinese and pre-Medieval European societies.

The book concentrates on such issues as the role of politics and religion; how communities developed social hierarchies; and the relationship between the individual and the state.

Crone provides a lively and accessible explanation of how human society was organized in the 5000 years prior to the Industrial Revolution.