A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms

A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms PDF Author: Timothy Earle
Publisher: Eliot Werner Publications
ISBN: 1734281855
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
Chiefs are political operatives who hold titles of leadership over groups larger than intimate kin-based communities. Although they rule with the consent of their group, they are all about building personal power and respect. Many scholars have viewed chiefs as problem solvers--defending groups against aggressors, resolving disputes, providing support under hardship, organizing labor for community projects, and redistributing goods among those in need. Chiefs do these things, but much of what chiefs do is accumulate benefits for themselves, staying in power and legitimizing control. Anthropological archaeology is well suited to pursue the study of chiefs, their leadership institutions (chiefdoms), and long-term historical processes. The author argues that studying chiefdoms is essential to understanding the role of elemental powers in social evolution. As an illustration, he studies chiefs and their power strategies in historically independent prehistoric and traditional societies and discusses how they continue to exist as powerful actors within modern states.

A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms

A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms PDF Author: Timothy Earle
Publisher: Eliot Werner Publications
ISBN: 1734281855
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Get Book

Book Description
Chiefs are political operatives who hold titles of leadership over groups larger than intimate kin-based communities. Although they rule with the consent of their group, they are all about building personal power and respect. Many scholars have viewed chiefs as problem solvers--defending groups against aggressors, resolving disputes, providing support under hardship, organizing labor for community projects, and redistributing goods among those in need. Chiefs do these things, but much of what chiefs do is accumulate benefits for themselves, staying in power and legitimizing control. Anthropological archaeology is well suited to pursue the study of chiefs, their leadership institutions (chiefdoms), and long-term historical processes. The author argues that studying chiefdoms is essential to understanding the role of elemental powers in social evolution. As an illustration, he studies chiefs and their power strategies in historically independent prehistoric and traditional societies and discusses how they continue to exist as powerful actors within modern states.

A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms

A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms PDF Author: Timothy K. Earle
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781633600584
Category : Chiefdoms
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
"Chiefdoms are traditional societies that are relevant for our modern world. The author argues that studying chiefdoms is essential to understanding the role of elemental powers in social evolution. As an illustration, he studies chiefs and their power strategies in historically independent prehistoric and traditional societies and discusses how they continue to exist as powerful actors within states. Chiefs are political operatives who hold titles of leadership over groups larger than intimate kin-based communities. Although they rule with the consent of their group, they are all about building personal power and respect. Many scholars have viewed chiefs as problem solvers-defending groups against aggressors, resolving disputes, providing support under hardship, organizing labor for community projects, and redistributing goods among those in need. Chiefs do these things, but much of what chiefs do is to accumulate benefits for themselves, staying in power and legitimizing control. Anthropological archaeology is well suited to pursue the study of chiefdoms, their leadership institutions, and long-term historical processes more generally"--

Chiefdoms

Chiefdoms PDF Author: Robert L. Carneiro
Publisher: Eliot Werner Publications
ISBN: 173337695X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
What many anthropologists regard as the major step in political development occurred when, for the first time in history, previously autonomous villages gave up their individual sovereignties and were brought together into a multi-village political unit--the chiefdom. Though long neglected as a major stage in history, recent years have seen the chiefdom come in for increased attention. As its importance has been more fully recognized, it has become the object of serious scholarly analysis and interpretation. In this volume specialists in political evolution draw on data from ethnography, archaeology, and history and apply fresh insights to enhance the study of the chiefdom. The papers present penetrating analyses of many aspects of the chiefdom, from how this form of political organization first arose to the role it played in giving rise to the next major stage in the development of human society--the state.

Etowah

Etowah PDF Author: Adam King
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
ISBN: 0817312242
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
This a reconstruction of the waxing and waning of political fortunes among the chiefly elites at an important centre of the prehistoric world.

Ritual and Economy in a Pre-Columbian Chiefdom

Ritual and Economy in a Pre-Columbian Chiefdom PDF Author: Kenneth Hirth
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
ISBN: 1646424751
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
This volume examines the organization and ritual economy of a pre-Columbian chiefdom that developed in central Honduras over a 1,400-year period from 400 BC to AD 1000. Extremely applicable and broadly important to the archaeological studies of Mesoamerica, Ritual and Economy in a Pre-Columbian Chiefdom models the ritual organization of pre-Columbian societies across Honduras to expand the understanding of chiefdom societies in Central America and explore how these non-Maya societies developed and evolved. As part of the ritual economy, a large quantity of jade and marble artifacts were deposited as offerings in the ritual architecture of the El Cajón region’s central community of Salitrón Viejo. Over 2,800 of these high-value items were recovered from their original ritual contexts, making Salitrón Viejo one of the largest in situ collections of these materials ever recovered in the New World. These materials are well dated and tremendously varied and provide a cross-section of all jade-carving lapidary traditions in use across eastern Mesoamerica between AD 250 and 350. With a complementary website providing extensive additional description, visualization, and analysis (https://journals.psu.edu/opa/issue/view/3127), Ritual and Economy in a Pre-Columbian Chiefdom is a new and original contribution that employs an “economy of ritual approach” to the study of chiefdom societies in the Americas. It is a foundational reference point for any scholar working in Mesoamerica and Central America, especially those engaged in Maya research, as well as archaeologists working with societies at this scale of complexity in Latin America and around the world.

Making of the World

Making of the World PDF Author: Mahbub H. Khan
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1039185800
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Humanity was once scattered into small-sized, nomadic groups that barely knew each other. Each lived inside its bubble of myths and beliefs. The notion of one single community, related by a common origin and similar aspirations—the world—began to evolve along with the founding of early civilizations. It was an auspicious development that has changed not only the way we live but also how we think. We are the only species probing the mysteries of nature and life. Curiously, the story of how wandering Homo sapiens, who had lived off nature for hundreds of thousands of years, created civilization is less well-known compared to the awareness about biological evolution. If you have wondered what led to the establishment of advanced societies in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Central America, and the Andean Highlands, this book is for you. Making of the World: Sapiens’ Journey from Wilderness to Civilization leads the reader through an absorbing narrative that canvasses the broad sweeps of human history. The book brings readers up to date on trusted research findings in archaeology, anthropology, and evolutionary psychology. In so doing, it dispels the fog of ideologically biased interpretations of history. Students planning to pursue higher education in humanities will find in the book a suitable introduction to a wide range of topics, including the origin of cities and governments, poetry, and philosophy.

Three Great African Chiefs

Three Great African Chiefs PDF Author: Edwin Lloyd
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 490

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Book Description


Chiefs and Councils in Rhodesia: Transition from Patriarchial to Bureaucratic Power

Chiefs and Councils in Rhodesia: Transition from Patriarchial to Bureaucratic Power PDF Author: A. K. H. Weinrich
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description


Archaeological and Ethnographic Evidence of Domination in Indigenous Latin America

Archaeological and Ethnographic Evidence of Domination in Indigenous Latin America PDF Author: Yamilette Chacon
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813070465
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
New data and interpretations that shed light on the nature of power relations in prehistoric and contemporary Indigenous societies This volume explores the nature of power relations and social control in Indigenous societies of Latin America. Its chapters focus on instances of domination in different contexts as reflected in archaeological, osteological, and ethnohistorical records, beginning with prehistoric case studies to examples from the ethnographic present. Ranging from the development of nautical and lacustrine warfare technology in precontact Mesoamerica to the psychological functions of domestic violence among contemporary Amazonian peoples, these investigations shed light on how leaders often use violence or the threat of violence to advance their influence. The essays show that while social control can be overt, it may also be veiled in the form of monumental architecture, fortresses or pukara, or rituals that signal to friends and foes alike the power of those in control. Contributors challenge many widely accepted conceptions of violence, warfare, and domination by presenting new evidence, and they also offer novel interpretations of power relations in the domestic, local, and regional spheres. Encompassing societies from tribal to state levels of sociopolitical complexity, the studies in this volume present different dimensions of conflict and power found among the prehistoric and contemporary Indigenous peoples of Latin America. Contributors: Stephen Beckerman | Richard J. Chacon | Yamilette Chacon | Vincent Chamussy | Peter Eeckhout | Pamela Erickson | Mariana Favila Vázquez | Romuald Housse | Nam C. Kim | Krzysztof Makowski | Dennis E. Ogburn | Lawrence Stewart Owens | James Yost

Understanding Chipped Stone Tools

Understanding Chipped Stone Tools PDF Author: Brian Hayden
Publisher: Eliot Werner Publications
ISBN: 173428188X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
This is a unique and engaging book on prehistoric stone tools. It advocates an experiential approach in which analysts try to understand stone tool designs from the users' perspectives, and employs a universal logic of designing tools to solve practical problems and evaluating various possible solutions. However, to do so it is also necessary to understand how stone can be mechanically modified to serve specific functions. The author enlists a rich array of ethnographic observations and considerable background as a flintknapper to show the basic ways in which stones can be flaked and modified and what these characteristics can reveal about prehistoric problem-solving strategies and design constraints. This is an invaluable primer for anyone contemplating the study of prehistoric stone tools."