AT HOME WITH THE AZTECS: HOW ARCHAEOLOGY REVEALS THE RICH LIVES OF ANCIENT FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

Book ID/图书代码： 06840015B84839

English Summary/英文概要： Everyone has their own idea of the Aztecs--mostly incorrect, and based on the kind of archeology that has focused almost exclusively on great monuments, nobles, high priests and grisly human sacrifice. But the great majority of these ancient Mexicans--the 99%, say--lived altogether different lives. They are at the heart of At Home with the Aztecs, a book devoted to what author Michael Smith, Professor of Archeology at Arizona State University, and perhaps the world’s leading authority on them, asserts are the real lives, lived at the level of the common people.

In a series of extensive excavations of small villages in the hills of central Mexico and a small city near Cuernavaca, Smith developed a new “domestic archeology” focusing on what he dug up out of the 500-year-old rubbish heaps and middens left behind by farmers and villagers far from the pomp of the royal courts. And what his researches revealed was a life surprisingly full and satisfying for what were long regarded as humble peons living in constant fear of starvation. These Aztec villagers enjoyed modest prosperity, family continuity, a way of life that could embrace musical festivals, religious rituals and elaborate markets--and could easily survive the threatening domination of the Mexica empire, before finally succumbing, like all of Mexico, to the Spanish conquest.

Designed for a broad readership, Smith’s is a thoroughly engaging account of the methods and rewards of archaeology, of the discoveries he made and the new insights into ancient culture they offered. It is also a human story about the participation of his fellow-archeologist wife and their two young daughters in his work. Told with human immediacy, and a minimum of academic jargon, Smith’s analysis of what made the Aztec farmers so successful in life finds a foreshadowing of the kind of local-scale, communal life that contemporary commentators are urging upon us today as a counter to corporate, top-down authority. His account of the domestic life of the ancient Aztec villagers he discovered on his digs, along with the record of his family’s involvement, conveys the inside story of what thoughtful archaeology is all about, and should appeal to a wide variety of readers.

At Home with the Aztecs provides a fresh view of Aztec society, focusing on households and communities instead of kings, pyramids, and human sacrifice. This new approach offers an opportunity to humanize the Aztecs, moving past the popular stereotype of sacrificial maniacs to demonstrate that these were successful and prosperous communities. Michael Smith also engagingly describes the scientific, logistic and personal dimensions of archaeological fieldwork, drawing on decades of excavating experience and considering how his research was affected by his interaction with contemporary Mexican communities. Through first-hand accounts of the ways archaeologists interpret sites and artifacts, the book illuminates how the archaeological process can provide information about ancient families. Facilitating a richer understanding of the Aztec world, Smith’s research also redefines success, prosperity and resilience in ancient societies, making this book suitable not only for those interested in the Aztecs but in the examination of complex societies in general.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 提到阿兹特克文明，或许每个人心中想到的东西都不尽相同，比如那些伟大的纪念碑、贵族、祭司长以及恐怖的活人祭祀——当然了其中大部分并不正确。但大多数人都抱着一个相同的想法——这些古代的墨西哥人和我们过着完全不同的生活，而本书描述的其实是那个年代的普通人。本书作者、亚利桑那州立大学考古学教授Michael Smith在全世界也称得上这个领域的权威之一。

在墨西哥中部的丘陵的村庄进行了一系列广泛的发掘，Smith从这些有500年历史的垃圾堆中发现了他所谓的“平民考古学”，那是一些远离宫廷生活的农民和乡下人留下的痕迹。人们可能以为那个年代的平民会在饥饿的恐惧中过着卑微的日子，而Smith的研究揭示了一个富足得令人惊讶的场景，展现了欣欣向荣的生活、家族的延续，这些村里人甚至拥有音乐节、宗教仪式和市场。

本书包括了Smith对于这个古老文明的发现和解读，同时也是充满人性温暖的故事，最低限度地涉及学术语言，因此适合广泛的读者群。(LYR)

Awards/获奖情况：对于阿兹特克帝国史的另一种令人信服的解读……是对于历史学的巨大贡献。”《Booklist》 Michael Smith借鉴了民族史和最新的考古发现以及他自己的第一手调查资料，并以此刷新了对于阿兹特克文明的见解。本书为学者以及相关的学生提供了非常有价值的概述。《达特茅斯大学人类学教授Deborah L. Nichols》

“A compelling reinterpretation of the standard history of the Aztec empire...A significant contribution to [Aztec] history.” --Booklist, on The Aztecs

“Michael Smith draws on ethnohistory and the most recent archaeological findings, including his own first-hand investigations, to update his comprehensive account of the Aztecs. The Aztecs provides a valuable overview for scholars and an accessible text for students.” --Deborah L. Nichols, Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth College, on The Aztecs

“Top archaeologist Michael Smith combines the latest archaeological research outside the imperial capital with insights from the ethnohistorical sources to present a well-balanced and dynamic view of Aztec society.” --Elizabeth Boone, Professor of History of Art at Tulane University, on The Aztecs

About the Author/作者介绍： Michael E. Smith博士是研究阿兹台克文明的国际权威之一，也是全美进行阿兹特克遗址挖掘的考古学家中之翘楚。他是亚利桑那州立大学人类学教授，研究人类进化以及社会变迁。迄今他已发表六部有关阿兹特克文明的著作以及大量相关学术文章。

Dr. Michael E. Smith, Ph.D. is one of the top international authorities on the Aztecs, and the leading U.S. archaeologist working at Aztec sites. He is also a Professor of Anthropology in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. He has published six books and numerous scholarly articles on the Aztecs; his books include the textbook, The Aztecs (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), The Comparative Archaeology of Complex Societies (Cambridge University Press, 2012), and Aztec City-State Capitals (University Press of Florida, 2008).

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