The Watershed Empires

Abstract

Watershed empires, founded by states in the highlands on the upper reaches of river systems, conquered the flood plains and other regions around them. Three of these, Ch'in in ancient China, Assyria in the middle east, and the Inca of Peru, are described, with emphasis on the horrific socio-political systems which they developed. All, however, were eventually overthrown by a combination of internal revolt and external pressures.

Keywords:

• Assyria 
• Ch'in 
• Incas 
• Watershed empire

Acknowledgements

This paper was originally given as a lecture to a local branch of the University of the Third Age, in a series organised by Professor Stanislav and Mrs Ruth Andreski on the history of human civilisation, and I am grateful to them for making the arrangements.

Notes

William MS Russell is Emeritus Professor of Sociology in the University of Reading, and was Ella Stevens Greek Scholar of New College, Oxford, in 1942. After active war service with the 12^th Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps he returned to Oxford and took a First in Zoology. In 1959 he and RL Burch, working for the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, published a book on improving the welfare of laboratory animals; the ideas in this book have been endorsed by the European Science Foundation, and embodied in the legislation of several countries and the European Union. For several decades he worked with his late wife Claire on the relations between animal and human behaviour, with special reference to the problem of violence, which they related to overpopulation. Professor Russell was President of the Folklore Society in 1978–82, and is currently President of the Pendragon Society. He is the author, co-author or editor of eight books and over 200 scientific papers.

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Notes on contributors

WMS Russell

William MS Russell is Emeritus Professor of Sociology in the University of Reading, and was Ella Stevens Greek Scholar of New College, Oxford, in 1942. After active war service with the 12th Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps he returned to Oxford and took a First in Zoology. In 1959 he and RL Burch, working for the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, published a book on improving the welfare of laboratory animals; the ideas in this book have been endorsed by the European Science Foundation, and embodied in the legislation of several countries and the European Union. For several decades he worked with his late wife Claire on the relations between animal and human behaviour, with special reference to the problem of violence, which they related to overpopulation. Professor Russell was President of the Folklore Society in 1978–82, and is currently President of the Pendragon Society. He is the author, co-author or editor of eight books and over 200 scientific papers.