The document discusses the contributions of ancient civilizations to modern public administration. It summarizes that public administration grew alongside early human civilizations as organizing communities required some form of governance. Many early civilizations developed unique administrative systems and traditions that still influence governments today, including the Sumerians, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. However, little is known about the administrative practices of some ancient empires. The document reviews several articles that analyze administrative legacies from early civilizations in more depth.

1. INTRODUCTION: CONTRIBUTIONS
OF THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS TO
THE MODERN PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
By: Ali Farazmand
Reported by: Abubakar
S. Mama

2. INTRODUCTION
Modern public administration has strong roots in the
ancient traditions of state, bureaucracy, and governance. It
is a legacy of the human civilization and its historic
companion of administration. Indeed, civilization and
administration are the twin characteristics of human social
development. Both civilization and administration have
been developed hand-by-hand by human activities in the
social realm, and both have complemented and reinforced
each other.

3. INTRODUCTION
The nature of the human community has, since the dawn
of the civilization, been characterized by some form of
“public” activities in organizing and implementing a wide
range of tasks and functions. Public administration,
therefore, grew side by side the human civilization and the
two became integrated.

4. THE START OF CIVILIZATION…
The small community of people in valleys or around waterways formed the early
civilization.

5. FORMATIONS OF KINGDOMS AND CITY STATES
• Kingdoms
• City states
• Empire

6. EXAMPLES OF EARLY CIVILIZATIONS
• The Summerians, Elaminate Iranians, Armenians,
Militanies, Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians,
Indians, Chinese, greeks, Romans, American
Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas.
• Each of these civilizations had significance
achievements in administration and governance
which influence the following empires and city
states.
• They have unique characteristics that
differentiated them from one another. But, they
all contributed to human civilization and to the
theory and practice of governance and public
administration.
• There is a wealth of knowledge that can be
learned from the political and administrative
system of these empires. Unfortunately, little of
nothing has been published about the rich
administrative tradition of many of these ancient
empires and city states.

7. ARTICLES

8. • Nystrom and Nystrom “bureaucracy In
prehistory”
• Traces the origin of bureaucracy to the prehistory based on
archeological findings

9. “Administration of the world-state Persian
Achaemenid Empire: implication for modern
Public Administration” by Ali Farazmand
- Presents for the first time a lenghtly discussion
of the administrative and governance systems
of the first world-state Achaemenid Persian
Empire (559-330 BC) with background on the
early Iranian tradition of public administration
beginning in Susa around 6000 BC and
continuing under the federated empires of
and Medes for the next 5,500 years.
- Founded by Cyrus the Great and organized
developed by King Darius, Achaemenid Persia
developed an administrative system that was
gigantic in size, managerially efficient,
effective, and superior to any administrative
system in the ancient world. It was
institutionally armed by a powerful and
bureaucracy notorious for its omnipresence
managerial efficiency, gaining Persian
reputation of being “Excellent Administrators”

10. Subramaniam’s article “Administrative legacy of ancient India”
- Analyzes the ancient legacy of Indian administration found in the British colonial
governance and administration almost two millennia later, hence impacting many
developing nations’ administrative system under British colonial rule.
- He shows how India and Persia made significant contribution to the modern system
public administration in both Britain and her former colonial territories

11. “Administrative legacies of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium” by Argyriades
- Is an eloquent analysis of the administrative tradition and legacies of the Greek
city states (polis), and the Roman (Res Publica) and Byzantine empires, with
implications for modern public administration

12. Dennis Daley “The decline and fall of the Roman Empire: lesson on Management”
- Discussion focuses on the managerial aspects of the Roman Empire.
- Daley identifies several managerial themes adopted by Romans to manage the
ongoing crisis of decline and to successfully revive and renew the traditions and
lessons that contribute to the triumph of modern management.

13. Administrative practices of Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas: lessons for modern development
administration” by Jean Claude Garcia-Zamor
- Focused on the ancient civilization of three peoples in American Continent
- Presents a substantive and informative discussion of the administrative traditions of
these empires/nations in the context of several characteristics found in most
developing countries today. Then he presents the administrative practices the Aztecs,
Incas, and Mayas used to manage the massive developmental projects in the
continent.
- Although much can be learned from them, the author stated “many of their practices
are unacceptable in modern time”

14. THE END…