Social Complexity in Prehistoric Eurasia: Monuments, Metals and Mobility

by Bryan K. Hanks (Editor), Katheryn M. Linduff (Editor)

Social Complexity in Prehistoric Eurasia challenges current interpretations of the emergence, development, and decline of social complexity in the steppe region of China and the former Soviet Union. Through a thematic investigation of archaeological patterns ranging from monument construction and use and production and consumption of metals to the nature of mobility among societies, the essays in this volume provide the most up-to-date thinking on social and cultural change in prehistoric Eurasia. Collectively, they challenge broader theoretical trends in Anglo-American archaeology, which have traditionally favored comparative studies of sedentary agricultural societies over mobile pastoralist or agro-pastoralist communities. By highlighting the potential and limitations of comparative studies of social complexity, this volume sets the agenda for future studies of this region of the world. It emphasizes how the unique nature of early steppe societies can contribute to more comprehensive interpretations of social trajectories in world prehistory.

438 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2009

Reviews

[Lee Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis Allard introduces three papers examining Mongolian Bronze Age monuments:

William Honeychurch et al. look at the spatial relationships between monuments in the Egiin Gol valley, using these to argue for a history of appropriation and legitimisation by successive groups of people.

Jean-Luc Houle similarly looks at spatial relationships between monuments, this time in the Khanuy Valley, but argues here that these represent central places, boundaries, and the beginnings of a complex society.

William Fitzhugh writes about the relationship between khirigsuurs and deerstones, using the case study of Ulan Tolgoi to suggest ritual landscapes.