Book Title: | Organizing Bronze Age Societies. The Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandanavia Compared |
Book Author: | |
Book Category: | Bronze Age |
Book Type: | PDF Book |
Book Pages: | 329 |
PDF Size: | 5.05 Mb(s) |
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Post Date: | October 7, 2023 |
Language: | English |
Read Online: | Read PDF Book Online |
PDF Download: | Click to Download the PDF |
Organizing Bronze Age Societies. The Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandanavia Compared
In ‘Organizing Bronze Age Societies. The Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandanavia Compared’, two leading archaeologists, Timothy Earle and Kristian Kristiansen, explore the similarities and differences in the social organization of Bronze Age societies across three distinct regions: the Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandinavia.
The Bronze Age was a period of significant cultural and technological change, marked by the widespread use of bronze for tools, weapons, and ornaments. It was also a time of growing social complexity, as societies became more hierarchical and differentiated, with elites emerging and new forms of political organization developing.
Using a comparative approach, Earle and Kristiansen examine how Bronze Age societies in the Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandinavia were organized, looking at factors such as settlement patterns, material culture, burial practices, and social stratification.
In the Mediterranean, societies were characterized by the development of city-states, with powerful rulers and elaborate palaces. Central European societies, on the other hand, were organized around fortified hilltop settlements, with more egalitarian social structures and a focus on agriculture and animal husbandry. In Scandinavia, societies were centered around longhouses and burial mounds, with a strong emphasis on maritime trade and raiding.
Despite these differences, Earle and Kristiansen also identify a number of commonalities across the three regions. For example, all three areas saw the emergence of elites and the development of social hierarchy, as well as the use of bronze as a marker of status and wealth. They also highlight the importance of trade and exchange in shaping Bronze Age societies, with long-distance networks linking different regions and facilitating the spread of new ideas and technologies.
Drawing on a wealth of archaeological evidence, ‘Organizing Bronze Age Societies’ provides a fascinating insight into the complex social worlds of the Bronze Age. It offers a unique comparative perspective, shedding new light on the similarities and differences between societies in different regions and challenging our assumptions about the nature of social organization in the past..
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