Canadian archaeologist, anthropologist, and ethnohistorian Bruce Graham Trigger focused his research on the history of archaeological inquiry and the comparative study of early cultures. Throughout his extensive career at McGill University, he developed new theoretical approaches to archaeology and ethnology. His work was characterized by a profound understanding of cultural contexts and a commitment to interdisciplinary synthesis. Trigger's scholarship significantly advanced our comprehension of human societal development.
A detailed comparative study of the seven best-documented early civilizations: ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Shang China, the Aztecs, peoples in the Valley of Mexico, the Classic Maya, the Inka, and the Yoruba. Equal attention is paid to similarities and differences in their sociopolitical organization, economic systems, religion, and culture.
This book, first published in 1983, presents an innovative perspective on the ancient societies which flourished in the Nile Valley.
Trigger's work integrates insights from archaeology, history, ethnology, linguistics, and geography. This wide knowledge allows him to show that, far from being a static prehistoric society quickly torn apart by European contact and the fur trade, almost every facet of Iroquoian culture had undergone significant change in the centuries preceding European contact. He argues convincingly that the European impact upon native cultures cannot be correctly assessed unless the nature and extent of precontact change is understood. His study not only stands Euro-American stereotypes and fictions on their heads, but forcefully and consistently interprets European and Indian actions, thoughts, and motives from the perspective of the Huron culture. The Children of Aataentsic revises widely accepted interpretations of Indian behaviour and challenges cherished myths about the actions of some celebrated Europeans during the "heroic age" of Canadian history. In a new preface, Trigger describes and evaluates contemporary controversies over the ethnohistory of eastern Canada.