ens , ▁mo ors , ▁desert s , ▁he ath , ▁ar id ▁was tes , ▁and ▁even ▁the ▁sea ▁itself ." ▁Not ▁only ▁did ▁this ▁place ▁a ▁great ▁many ▁people ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁reach ▁of ▁the ▁state ▁but ▁also ▁made ▁them ▁significant ▁military ▁thre ats ▁to ▁the ▁state ' s ▁power . ▁ ▁The ▁traditional ▁narr ative ▁is ▁that ▁some ▁" bar bar ian " ▁communities ▁became ▁sed ent ary ▁and ▁then ▁developed ▁into ▁early ▁states ▁and ▁civil ization . ▁Meanwhile , ▁those ▁who ▁did ▁not ▁under go ▁this ▁transition ▁remained ▁" bar bar ian ." ▁Scott ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁" bar b ari ans " ▁and ▁the ▁state ▁is ▁much ▁more ▁fluid , ▁that ▁in ▁fact ▁some ▁people ▁" re vert ed " ▁back ▁to ▁being ▁bar b ari ans ▁precisely ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁failure ▁and ▁excess es ▁of ▁the ▁state . ▁This ▁implies ▁that ▁civil ization ▁and ▁state ▁making ▁was ▁not ▁the ▁in ex or able ▁march ▁of ▁progress ▁but ▁rather ▁a ▁brut al ▁project ▁that ▁people ▁avoided ▁when ▁possible . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁ ▁Multiple ▁out lets ▁have ▁review ed ▁Again st ▁the ▁Gra in . ▁Scott ▁himself ▁writes ▁that ▁history ▁is ▁" the ▁most ▁sub vers ive ▁discipline " ▁and ▁arch ae ologist ▁Barry ▁C un l iffe ▁describes ▁this ▁book ▁as ▁" history ▁as ▁it ▁should ▁be ▁written ." ▁ ▁Steven ▁M ith en ▁writes ▁that ▁Scott ' s ▁" account ▁of ▁the ▁deep ▁past ▁doesn ’ t ▁pur port ▁to ▁be ▁definit ive