Four Lost Cities
Conceptual
Simple
Shallow

Four Lost Cities A Secret History of the Urban Age

In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around the world, Newitz explores the rise and fall of four ancient cities, each the center of a sophisticated civilization: the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, the Roman vacation town of Pompeii on Italy's southern coast, the medieval megacity of Angkor in Cambodia, and the indigenous metropolis Cahokia, which stood beside the Mississippi River where East St. Louis is today. Newitz travels to all four sites and investigates the cutting-edge research in archaeology, revealing the mix of environmental changes and political turmoil that doomed these ancient settlements. Tracing the early development of urban planning, Newitz also introduces us to the often anonymous workers--slaves, women, immigrants, and manual laborers--who built these cities and created monuments that lasted millennia. Four Lost Cities is a journey into the forgotten past, but, foreseeing a future in which the majority of people on Earth will be living in cities, it may also reveal something of our own fate.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Fabio Mologni
Fabio Mologni@fabio_m
2 stars
Jan 10, 2022
Photo of May
May@angelcult
3.5 stars
Nov 16, 2021
Honest
Simple
Shallow
Conceptual
Photo of Ben Nathan
Ben Nathan@benreadssff
4 stars
Sep 15, 2021
Photo of Abby
Abby@abbywooden
4 stars
Nov 16, 2022
Unique
Charming
Insightful
Photo of Andrew Reeves
Andrew Reeves@awreeves
3 stars
Jul 5, 2024
Photo of Kyle Curry
Kyle Curry@kcurry24
3 stars
Nov 22, 2023
Photo of Natalie
Natalie@gigameow
5 stars
Oct 17, 2022
Photo of Kiandra Rodgers
Kiandra Rodgers @kiandrar
5 stars
Mar 22, 2022
Photo of Mandi Jayne
Mandi Jayne@mandi_reads
4 stars
Jan 13, 2022
Photo of Amanda Valentin
Amanda Valentin@valentin07
3 stars
Jan 12, 2022
Photo of Kirsten Adam
Kirsten Adam@kcs_adam
4 stars
Jan 9, 2022
Photo of Faith Collins
Faith Collins@faithcaitlin
3 stars
Oct 20, 2021