Archaeological Perspectives on Political Economies

by Feinman, Gary M.; Nicholas, Linda M.

• ISBN13: 9780874807769
• ISBN10: 087480776X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-06
• Publisher: Univ of Utah Pr

Summary

Archaeological Perspectives on Political Economiesexplores past societies that are characterized by hierarchical organization where the production and circulation of goods transcend domestic units. Based on contributions to the biennial Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry Roundtable, Gary Feinman and Linda Nicholas bring together twelve leaders in the field whose contributions consider such questions as the emergence of rank within a previously egalitarian society, the regional organization of preindustrial economic systems, different modes of craft specializations, and the relation between high-status consumption and long-distance trade. Areas of study include most of the core areas of early complex society development, and analytical scales that range from domestic units to macroregional networks, demonstrating how archaeological research and data can help explicate the economic intricacies of past societies. The volume reinvigorates the archaeological investigation of preindustrial economies, offering both new theoretical perspectives and new empirical foundations.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix
List of Tables	xi
Preface	xiii
Gary M. Feinman
Linda M. Nicholas
Archaeology and Political Economy: Setting the Stage	1	(6)
Gary M. Feinman
The Evolution of Chiefdoms: An Economic Anthropological Model	7	(18)
Charles Stanish
The Economy of the Moment: Cultural Practices and Mississippian Chiefdoms	25	(16)
Timothy R. Pauketat
Reflections on the Early Southern Mesopotamian Economy	41	(20)
Robert McC. Adams
Structural Parameters and Sociocultural Factors in the Economic Organization of North Mesopotamian Urbanism in the Third Millennium B.C.	61	(18)
Gil Stein
Material Resources, Capital, and Power: The Coevolution of Society and Culture	79	(26)
Andrew Sherratt
Roman Economies: A Paradigm of Their Own	105	(24)
Glenn R. Storey
Early State Economic Systems in China	129	(16)
Anne P. Underhill
Hui Fang
Appropriative Economies: Labor Obligations and Luxury Goods in Ancient Maya Societies	145	(22)
Patricia A. McAnany
Unraveling the Prehispanic Highland Mesoamerican Economy: Production, Exchange, and Consumption in the Classic Period Valley of Oaxaca	167	(22)
Gary M. Feinman
Linda M. Nicholas
Craft Economies of Ancient Andean States	189	(34)
Cathy Lynne Costin
Political Economy in the Historic Period Chiefdoms and States of Southeast Asia	223	(30)
Laura Lee Junker
Comparative Insights into the Ancient Political Economies of West Africa	253	(18)
Ann Brower Stahl
References	271	(67)
Contributors	338	(1)
Index	339