1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910457207403321

Titolo

The comparative archaeology of complex societies / / edited by Michael E. Smith [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2012

ISBN

1-107-22370-9

1-139-13992-4

1-283-31514-9

9786613315144

1-139-13916-9

1-139-14494-4

1-139-14074-4

1-139-13761-1

1-139-02271-7

1-139-14162-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xxii, 334 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Disciplina

930.1

Soggetti

Social archaeology

Social groups

Complex organizations

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Comparative archaeology : a commitment to understanding variation / Robert D. Drennan [and others] -- Approaches to comparative analysis in archaeology / Michael E. Smith and Peter Peregrine -- Comparative frames for the diachronic analysis of complex societies : next steps / Gary M. Feinman -- What it takes to get complex : food, goods, and work as shared cultural ideals form the beginning of sedentism / Monica L. Smith -- Challenges for comparative study of early complex societies / Robert D. Drennan and Christian E. Peterson -- Patterned variation in regional trajectories of community growth / Christian E. Peterson and Robert D. Drennan -- The genesis of monuments in island societies / Michael J. Kolb -- Power and legitimation : political



strategies, typology and cultural evolution / Peter Peregrine -- The strategies of provincials in empires / Barbara L. Stark and John K. Chase -- Household economies under the Aztec and Inka empires : a comparison / Timothy Earle and Michael E. Smith -- Low-density, agrarian-based urbanism : scale, power, and ecology / Roland Fletcher -- Archaeology, early complex societies, and comparative social science history / Michael E. Smith.

Sommario/riassunto

Part of a resurgence in the comparative study of ancient societies, this book presents a variety of methods and approaches to comparative analysis through the examination of wide-ranging case studies. Each chapter is a comparative study, and the diverse topics and regions covered in the book contribute to the growing understanding of variation and change in ancient complex societies. The authors explore themes ranging from urbanization and settlement patterns, to the political strategies of kings and chiefs, to the economic choices of individuals and households. The case studies cover an array of geographical settings, from the Andes to Southeast Asia. The authors are leading archaeologists whose research on early empires, states, and chiefdoms is at the cutting edge of scientific archaeology.