The Comparative Archaeology of Complex Societies

Part of a resurgence in the comparative study of ancient societies, this book presents case studies of states, empires and chiefdoms.

Michael E. Smith (Edited by)

9780521197915, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 September 2011

360 pages, 45 b/w illus. 2 maps 24 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.592 kg

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.

1. Comparative archaeology: a commitment to understanding variation all contributors
2. Approaches to comparative analysis in archaeology Michael E. Smith and Peter Peregrine
3. Comparative frames for the diachronic analysis of complex societies: next steps Gary M. Feinman
4. What it takes to get complex: food, goods, and work as shared cultural ideals form the beginning of sedentism Monica L. Smith
5. Challenges for comparative study of early complex societies Robert D. Drennan and Christian E. Peterson
6. Patterned variation in regional trajectories of community growth Christian E. Peterson and Robert D. Drennan
7. The genesis of monuments in island societies Michael J. Kolb
8. Power and legitimation: political strategies, typology and cultural evolution Peter Peregrine
9. The strategies of provincials in empires Barbara L. Stark and John K. Chase
10. Households, economies, and power in the Aztec and Inka imperial provinces Timothy Earle and Michael E. Smith
11. Low-density, agrarian-based urbanism: scale, power, and ecology Roland Fletcher
12. Archaeology, early complex societies, and comparative social science history Michael E. Smith.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC], Prehistoric archaeology [HDDA], Archaeology [HD], General & world history [HBG]