- Cannibals and Kings
"Cannibals and Kings" (
1977 , ISBN 0-394-40765-2) is a book written by anthropologistMarvin Harris . The book presents a systematic discussion of ideas about the reasons for a culture making a transition by stages from egalitarianhunter-gatherer to hierarchically based nationhood as population density increases.According to Harris, humans shifted from a low-
carbohydrate diet largely based on hunter-gatherer sources to a high-carbohydrate diet largely based on agricultural whenintensive agriculture began. Harris posits that this diet change resulted in more body fat, which for females led to earliermenarche and a smaller reduction in fertility from nursing infants, which then led to shorter periods between pregnancies. Harris also describes the state of the world in the late 19th century as one of approaching catastrophe as predicted by Malthus (Malthusian catastrophe ). Harris then discusses three 20th century innovations that explain this postponement of the catastrophe: the exploitation ofpetroleum , reliablecontraceptive s, and social changes in some cultures that make smaller families more desirable."Cannibals and Kings" discusses the development of
pork as ataboo food in ancientIsraelite society. Harris argues that while cattle, sheep and many other domesticated animals consume grass, pigs in adesert environment are poorgrazers and must compete with humans for grain. that pigs produce no utility aside from meat, compared with cattle and goats, which provide milk, transport, and labor. This led to pigs being reviled, and he argues this gave rise to the pig as a taboo food in theOld Testament and goes on to briefly discuss the other listed taboos. Harris notes that pigs were also taboo inAncient Egypt and continue to be forbidden by Islam, suggesting that environmental rather than cultural factors are responsible for putting this food animal off limits.Harris also discusses the cow as a sacred animal and taboo food in Hindu culture. Unlike the Middle Eastern civilizations, India had developed very productive forms of agriculture, requiring heavy labor. The high population densities and the periodic droughts rendered animal husbandry for food purposes impractical, and slowly led to the ending of
animal sacrifice . However, cattle remained an important species because they provided farm labor. Desperation incurred during periods of drought might lead to the temptation to slaughter and eat the work animals for short-term survival; this would damage long-term prospects by destroying the means of production. Harris argues that this situation led to the evolution of the cow as a taboo food and its worship as a sacred creature in India.Harris examines the concept of the
hydraulic empire , ancient civilizations such asChina , Persia, andEgypt that were reliant on water for agriculture. The necessity of labor-intensive projects such asirrigation ,canals , and flood control dikes led to the development of strong, centralized, and despotic states to mobilize the needed manpower for construction. Despite foreign conquest or change of government, the nature of such states would remain essentially unchanged because of the unchanging need to mobilize human labor.Because European agriculture relied upon rainfall and not irrigation, Harris argues, European rulers under
feudalism were unable to effectively monopolize power and restrict the rising power of towns. The growth of towns and cities, from a combination of population growth and urban migration, would lead to early forms ofcapitalism .ee also
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Cannibalism in pre-Columbian America
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