Rings of Power or in Search of Early Elites

History Carved by the Dagger: the Society of the Usatovo Culture in the 4th Millennium BC, 2020

The article discusses the social organization of the Usatovo culture which occupied the North-West Pontic region in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. The analysis of material from burial sites revealed three groups of cemeteries. The first group is characterized by monumental earthen and stone constructions above graves, large to very large burial chambers and a great number of prestigious painted pottery as well as concentrations of metal objects, exotic articles and symbols of the highest social status. The second group embraces cemeteries which could also have complex surface structures or other constructive elements like ditches. The burial pits are smaller and the quantity of painted pottery and other valuable things is less than in the first group. The third group consists of cemeteries with simple burial mounds or flat graves. It is distinguished by small size pits, an obvious predominance of coarse pottery, very rare metal finds and the total absence of exotic adornments or symbols of high status. The division of cemeteries in three distinctive groups can testify to existence of three social strata within the Usatovo society. The upper stratum was represented by supreme chiefs and representatives of their families and lineages. The second social layer was occupied by noble people, perhaps with some priestly functions. The third lowermost stratum probably included commoners who were involved in economic activities connected with agriculture, herding and handicrafts.

2015

Resumen : Este articulo tiene como principal objetivo analizar el proceso de deifica­cion protagonizado por las elites socia­les en el archipielago japones a lo largo del primer milenio d.C. Tras examinar las fuentes arqueologicas y documen­tales disponibles, es posible identificar la existencia de dos procesos diferentes: uno, en virtud del cual se concedia a los caudillos locales una naturaleza divina tras su fallecimiento (deificacion post mortem ), y que tendria su manifesta­cion material mas visible en la ereccion de estructuras funerarias colosales (ss. III-VII); y otro (ss. VII-VIII), dirigido a la legitimacion del poder vigente (deifi­cacion in vita ). Uno de los aspectos mas destacados de este segundo proceso fue la construccion de una genealogia que vinculaba a las divinidades - kami - crea­doras del archipielago con los sobera­nos reinantes -los “soberanos celestia­les”-, dando origen a una mito-historia que ejerceria una influencia real hasta tiempos modernos. Abstract :...

2004

Elites in the Ancient World, 2015

The conference organized by the Ancient History Commission of the Polish Historical Society (held in Szczecin, 18–20 September 2013), on the theme of Elites in the Ancient World, was an opportunity for scientists from many academic centers in Poland and from around the world to exchange views and experiences in the study of Antiquity. The symposiums, which were not infrequently turbulent, gave rise to the concept of this publication as a medium to reveal new research findings to the scholarly community. The response to our efforts was far beyond our expectations – many scholars of antiquity, who were unable to attend the conference for various reasons, declared their wish to submit papers for this publication. We included some of them, related to the topics of the meeting, in the present volume. It is noteworthy that the published papers cover a wide temporal range, from the ancient Near East, through the culture of classical antiquity, to the decline of the ancient world. This is also the chronological order in which these papers have been arranged. Readers can just as well substitute this selection with the subject matter criterion: Piotr Briks, Mireille Corbier, Stefan Zawadzki write about the representatives of the ruling house, Aleksey Egorov, Daria Dymskaya, Candice Greggi, Peter Herz, Henryk Kowalski, Katarzyna Maksymiuk, Danuta Okoń, Benet Salway, Stefan Zawadzki about aristocracy, while Christer Bruun, Babett Edelmann-Singer, Michael Sommer, Andrzej Wypustek write about provincial elites. The authors treat the elites of the ancient world both as a whole and as a group of individuals, with selected figures being presented. Consequently, the work that has emerged is of diverse character, presenting the main topic from various perspectives. This is the very advantage of this publication, as the analyses are not limited to one research area, but offer a valuable holistic approach. We are grateful to all of the authors who contributed to this monograph for the achievement of this effect. The materials, which for various reasons have not been included in this volume, are to be published in the forthcoming volume already in press. I hope that the results of the meeting in Szczecin will extend beyond the aforementioned publications and that this cooperation, which has so successfully been initiated, will continue for many years to come.

Against Typological Tyranny in Archaeology. Ed. by C. Langbaeck and C. Gnecco, Springer, 2014

Models of social evolution, which rely on typologies for characterizing the degree and structure of inequality and social complexity of past societies, together with its corresponding trait lists of typical features and archaeological signatures, have been largely used in South America to both describe and explain the emergence and decadence of a variety of past social formations, ranging from the Inca empire, to smaller polities which have been classified as tribes, chiefdoms, and states.

Estrat Critic, 2014

In the last two decades there has been an explosion of studies dealing with the nature of power and its expression on the archaeological record. We have witnessed the development of a myriad of topics of study in the different expressions of power, from gender studies to colonialism or performance as a mean of social domination However, there are fewer studies devoted to the relationship of power, the models of state and, in concrete, the feasibility of interpreting different political models in the archaeological context and record. This work is intended to be a general review of the topic. In order to achieve this, I will develop a discourse from the more general, the definition of the terms involved in the analysis, to the more specific: which is the material expression, if any, of the different political models in which a society can be organized, moving away from the traditional interpretations that most of these phenomena have had in the discipline.

Archeological Papers of the American …, 2004

The First Kings of Europe: From Farmers to Rulers in Prehistoric Southeastern Europe, 2022

The Central and Southern Balkans played a significant role in the introduction and development of social complexity in Europe. This is indicated by buildings, burials, and artifacts. During the Neolithic period, the first glimpses of communal differences appeared and eventually developed into tribal elites and hierarchical tribal kingdoms in the Chalcolithic (Copper Age), Bronze Age, and Iron Age. These prehistoric stages witnessed a variety of technological, economic, and social changes that permitted the advancement and differentiation of individuals and groups. They distinguished themselves from one another by decorated structures, prestigious objects, and lavish funerary rituals that signified the different statuses or roles they held in society. In this chapter, we provide an overview of these changes from the end of the seventh to the middle of the first millennium BC, focusing specifically on the central southern parts of the Balkans.

Cruz Berrocal, M.; García Sanjuán, L. & Gilman, A. (Eds.): The Prehistory of Iberia: Debating Early Social Stratification and the State, 3-10. , 2013

This book originated in the session "The Prehistory of Iberia (Neolithic to Iron Age) and the Debate on the Formation of Hierarchical Societies and the State" organized by two of us (María Cruz Berrocal and Antonio Gilman) and held at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology conference in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) in March 2008. When we envisioned the publication of the session papers, the scope and the number of contributions was enlarged, and the book became the present The Prehistory of Iberia: Debating Early Social Stratifi cation and the State .