Chapter 1: Social Science and the City Chapter 2: Parameters of Social Evolution Chapter 3: Evolution and the City Chapter 4: The Change Chapter 5: Rural Villages Chapter 6: Rise of the City Chapter 7: The Dawn of History Chapter 8: The City in the World Chapter 9: Rethinking the City

Fascinating to read!  Thomas brings a sociological perspective to the topic of how cities began, combining insights from standard urban theory with more classical sociological theory as well as anthropology and archaeology.  He is able to do this partly as a result of having studied in many departments that combined the disciplines of sociology and anthropology, thus demonstrating that what most would criticize as of little value can lead to new insights and new ways of thinking.  Focusing on “pristine cities” (which could not have developed in response to other urban forms), Thomas points to similarities and differences between them and current cities.  He then shows that many of the characteristics we associate with modern cities actually existed long before the first cities emerged, many of the structures we consider unique to contemporary cities are found in ancient ones as well, and that contemporary urban problems such as inequality and segregation have ancient roots.   The power of this work is how it causes the reader to question and re-frame urban sociology, and move from a focus on the city as the unit of analysis to that of the “urban system” which includes all areas, including rural ones, and cities of all sizes, into a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary urban society.  I highly recommend it to urban sociologists and all those interested in urban life in general.  They will not be disappointed.