Cannibals and kings. The origins of cultures. Harris M.

In his brilliant and deep study, first published in 1977, the outstanding American anthropologist Marvin Harris shows how endless varieties of cultural behavior, which, at first glance, are often too puzzled, can be considered as adaptation of people to certain environmental conditions. Harris sets out to explain the evolution of cultural forms in the same way that Charles Darwin explained the evolution of biological forms, demonstrating how cultures take their characteristic forms in response to a change in environmental conditions.

In “Cannibals and Kings”, a systematic analysis of the reasons for the phased transition of cultures from egalitarian societies of hunting gatherers to hierarchical states is presented as the population density increases, the intensification of production and environmental depletion.