Social Complexity in Prehistoric Eurasia: Monuments, Metals and Mobility

0521517125......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 3
TITLE......Page 5
COPYRIGHT......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
CONTRIBUTORS......Page 11
FOREWORD From Myth to Method: Advances in the Archaeology of the Eurasian Steppe......Page 17
References......Page 21
CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Reconsidering Steppe Social Complexity within World Prehistory......Page 23
Framing Complexity......Page 25
Mining, Metallurgy, and Trade......Page 26
Social Power, Monumentality, and Mobility......Page 27
Concluding Remarks......Page 28
References......Page 29
PART ONE FRAMING COMPLEXITY......Page 31
CHAPTER 2 Introduction......Page 33
References......Page 39
Differentiated Eurasian Landscapes......Page 41
Scale and Non-uniform Complexity......Page 46
Non-uniform Complexity in the Trans-Urals Region......Page 49
Non-uni form Complexity in Semirech’ye......Page 55
Non-uniform Complexity in the Margiana Oasis......Page 61
Conclusion......Page 62
Acknowledgments......Page 63
References......Page 64
Introduction......Page 69
Climate Change and Sedentism......Page 70
Warfare and Power......Page 72
Warfare and Ornaments in the Abashevo Culture......Page 74
Transition to the Initial Sintashta Phase......Page 75
Warfare in the Sintashta Culture: Fortifications and Weapons......Page 76
Warfare and Sintashta Chariots......Page 79
Aggrandizing Behavior: Chiefs and Feasts......Page 84
Contact with Central Asia......Page 86
Summary: A Model for the Sintashta Genesis and Decline......Page 89
References......Page 90
CHAPTER 5: Settlements and Cemeteries of the Bronze Age of the Urals: The Potential for Reconstructing Early Social Dynamics......Page 96
Archaeological Patterns......Page 97
Variations in Complexity......Page 104
Characterizing Bronze Age Social Complexity......Page 107
Conclusion......Page 109
References......Page 110
CHAPTER 6 The Maikop Singularity: The Unequal Accumulation of Wealth on the Bronze Age Eurasian Steppe?......Page 113
Abbreviations......Page 123
References......Page 124
PART TWO MINING, METALLURGY, AND TRADE......Page 127
CHAPTER 7 Introduction......Page 129
References......Page 135
CHAPTER 8 Formation of the Eurasian Steppe Belt Cultures: Viewed through the Lens of Archaeometallurgy and Radiocarbon Dating......Page 137
The Early (First) Stage of Formation of the Steppe Belt Cultures: The Carpatho-Balkan Metallurgical Province......Page 138
The Second Stage of the Steppe Belt Formation: The Circumpontic Metallurgical Province......Page 143
The First CMP Phase: The Maikop Phenomenon......Page 145
The Second (Late) CMP Phase: The Steppe Kurgan Cultures......Page 148
The Yamnaya and Catacomb Communities: The Problem of Chronological Correlation......Page 150
The Third Stage of Steppe Belt Formation: Eurasian and Eastern Asian Metallurgical Provinces......Page 153
The Eurasian Province – Early Phase: Counter Waves of Cultures......Page 154
The Second Phase of the Eurasian Province: Stabilization of the System......Page 158
The Third Phase of the Eurasian Metallurgical Province: Disintegr ation of the System......Page 160
The Third Stage of Steppe Belt Formation: The East Asian Metallurgical Province......Page 161
Final Remarks......Page 163
Notes......Page 164
References......Page 165
CHAPTER 9 Late Prehistoric Mining, Metallurgy, and Social Organization in North Central Eurasia......Page 168
Modeling Early Metallurgy and Social Organization......Page 169
Modeling the Sintashta Archaeological Pattern......Page 170
Sintashta Metallurgy......Page 174
New Approaches to Sintashta Archaeology......Page 181
Conclusion......Page 184
References......Page 185
CHAPTER 10 The Bronze-Using Cultures in the Northern Frontier of Ancient China and the Metallurgies of Ancient Dian Area in Yunnan Province......Page 190
Ordos Bronze Ornaments......Page 192
The Tiger-Stripe Pattern on the Surfaces of Ba-Shu–Style Weapons......Page 194
The Tin-Plated Bronzes of the Ancient Dian State in Yunnan......Page 195
Trident-Shaped Iron Swords with Bronze Hilts......Page 199
Discussion......Page 202
Conclusion......Page 205
Acknowledgments......Page 206
References......Page 207
CHAPTER 11 Production and Social Complexity: Bronze Age Metal working in the Middle Volga\n......Page 209
Metal and Authority......Page 213
Metalworking......Page 215
Bronze Age Metalworking in the Middle Volga......Page 217
Discussion and Conclusions......Page 227
Acknowledgments......Page 230
Notes......Page 231
References......Page 233
CHAPTER 12 Early Metallurgy and Socio-Cultural Complexity: Archaeological Discoveries in Northwest China......Page 237
The Beginnings and Early Development of Metallurgy in Northwest China......Page 238
The Social and Symbolic Dimensions of Early Metallurgy in Northwest China......Page 245
The Socio-Cultural Factors in the Development of Early Metallurgy......Page 248
Acknowledgments......Page 250
References......Page 251
PART THREE FRONTIERS AND BORDER DYNAMICS......Page 255
CHAPTER 13 Introduction......Page 257
Introduction......Page 263
The Northern Zone of China: Environmental Conditions and Cultural-Historical Background......Page 264
Transition to the First Millennium BCE: Continuity or Change?......Page 266
Coming from Afar? Evidence for Inter-regional Interactions......Page 270
Violence on the Frontiers? Militarism as a Source of Real and Symbolic Power......Page 274
Conclusions......Page 284
Notes......Page 286
References......Page 287
CHAPTER 15 First-Millennium BCE Beifang Artifacts as Historical Documents......Page 294
Late Prehistoric Beifang......Page 295
Beifang Culture during the First Millennium BCE......Page 297
The Dongbei......Page 299
Northern Hebei Province......Page 301
The Xibei......Page 304
South-Central Inner Mongolia......Page 305
Northern Shaanxi and the Ordos Region of Southwest Inner Mongolia......Page 306
Eastern Gansu and Southern Ningxia......Page 308
Xiongnu Period, Late Third Century to First Century BCE......Page 309
Conclusion......Page 312
References......Page 314
CHAPTER 16 Blurring the Boundaries: Foragers and Pastoralists in the Volga-Urals Region......Page 318
Political Complexity and Pastoralism......Page 319
Foragers and Pastoralists......Page 321
Early Bronze Age I (3300 to 2800 BCE )......Page 322
Middle Bronze Age I (2800 to 2300 BCE )......Page 325
Middle Bronze Age II (2300 to 2000 BCE )......Page 329
Middle Bronze Age III (2000 to 1800 BCE )......Page 331
Late Bronze Age I (1800 to 1600 BCE )......Page 333
Late Bronze Age II (1600 to 1300 BCE )......Page 336
Notes......Page 338
References......Page 339
PART FOUR SOCIAL POWER, MONUMENTALITY, AND MOBILITY......Page 343
CHAPTER 17 Introduction......Page 345
References......Page 351
CHAPTER 18 Re-writing Monumental Landscapes as Inner Asian Political Process......Page 352
A Sequence of Steppe Monuments......Page 353
Social Change and Local Asymmetries......Page 355
“Re-writing” Monumental Sites, Identity, and Inequality......Page 358
Evaluating the Model in Northern Mongolia......Page 359
The Micro-geography of Monuments......Page 361
The Sub-regional Geography of Monuments......Page 362
Changes in Monumental Practices......Page 364
Horse Riding......Page 368
Extra-Local Relationships......Page 370
Mortuary Differentiation and Hereditary Status......Page 371
Conclusion......Page 374
References......Page 375
Nomadic Polities: The Problem......Page 380
Monuments of Central Mongolia and Societal Complexity......Page 381
The Khanuy River Valley Research Area......Page 385
A Proxemic Analysis......Page 390
Socially Integrative Facilities, Centralization, and the Development of Regional Networks......Page 392
References......Page 395
The Deer Stone–Khirigsuur Complex......Page 400
Khirigsuur Mounds......Page 403
Deer Stones......Page 407
Previous Research......Page 412
Landscape, Ritual, and Cosmology......Page 413
Ulaan Tolgoi......Page 417
Darkhad Valley Finds......Page 423
Conclusion......Page 425
Acknowledgments......Page 428
References......Page 429
INDEX......Page 435