Ancient society : $b or, Researches in the lines of human progress from savagery, through barbarism to civilization

"Ancient Society: or, Researches in the Lines of Human Progress from Savagery, through Barbarism to Civilization" by Lewis H. Morgan is a pioneering scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The book explores the evolution of human civilization, asserting that mankind progressed from primitive states of savagery, through varying stages of barbarism, ultimately achieving complex forms of civilization. Morgan seeks to demonstrate the unified progression of humanity, tracing the development of social structures, inventions, and institutions. The opening of the text introduces Morgan’s central thesis: that humanity began at the lowest points of cultural development and has gradually moved toward more sophisticated forms of social organization. He highlights a significant evidence-based understanding about the antiquity of mankind, stating that savagery preceded barbarism, which in turn preceded civilization. Morgan outlines his vision of distinct ethnical periods, suggesting that the advancements in human society are closely linked to the progress of inventions and cultural practices, including subsistence methods, governance, and family structures. This framework serves as the foundation for his detailed examination of social evolution throughout the book. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Lewis Henry Morgan was a pioneering American anthropologist and social theorist who worked as a railroad lawyer. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social evolution, and his ethnography of the Iroquois. Interested in what holds societies together, he proposed the concept that the earliest human domestic institution was the matrilineal clan, not the patriarchal family.