How were Societies Organized? Social Archaeology - The answers to ...
How were Societies Organized? Social Archaeology - The answers to these questions are not directly visible in the archaeological record - We have to tease out the answers from archaeological data o We have to ask the right questions of our data - Different societies provide different kinds of data - A question of scale o What is the largest societal unit? o What kind of society was it? - Classification of society o Mobile hunter gatherer o Segmentary society o Chiefdom o State o Based on differences in: Size Social organization Economic organization Settlement patterns Religious organization Architecture o Course measure, obviously not all societies will fit these classifications o These classifications allow us to organize our thoughts We are really looking at changes over time o Not progressive o One is not better than another or more advanced than another In general, complex societies: - Show increased specialization o People no longer combine multiple aspects of their culture - Increased intensification of production - With intensification and specialization some people o Become wealthier o Wield more authority Wealth and authority as basis for social status and ranking Methods of Social Analysis - Settlement analysis o What is the scale of the society Number of sites Size of sites Distribution across landscape and relative to each other o Goals of settlement archaeology Map and catalogue sites Chronology Architectural features Population estimate Site hierarchy/relative importance Regional center, local centre, village, hamlet, etc.
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Burial analysis o We see the individual rarely in an archaeological context o Burials offer the most information about an individual Age Sex Social position / role / status Access to wealth/valued objects Leader, slave, concubine, etc. Health / life history o Grave offerings – often relationship between individual rank in life and how they are buried Tell us about larger social factors Ideology – belief about the afterlife Symbolism – common language How status is expressed – was status important? Gender roles Trade networks Monuments and public works o Size, construction, material tell us about authority, control of labour, religious ideology/cosmology Written records o In literate societies, written records can answer many social questions o Not all records are written Inca state No formal writing system Quipu – series of knotted cords Ethnoarchaeology o Studying living societies o Studying the present-day use and significance of Artifacts Buildings Structures o And how these material things become incorporated into the archaeological record
Where are the People? - It is important to understand things like power, authority, organization - But this can only tell us so much - We also want to know how these factors of civilization affected different people at different times
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Burial analysis o We see the individual rarely in an archaeological context o Burials offer the most information about an individual Age Sex Social position / role / status Access to wealth/valued objects Leader, slave, concubine, etc. Health / life history o Grave offerings – often relationship between individual rank in life and how they are buried Tell us about larger social factors Ideology – belief about the afterlife Symbolism – common language How status is expressed – was status important? Gender roles Trade networks Monuments and public works o Size, construction, material tell us about authority, control of labour, religious ideology/cosmology Written records o In literate societies, written records can answer many social questions o Not all records are written Inca state No formal writing system Quipu – series of knotted cords Ethnoarchaeology o Studying living societies o Studying the present-day use and significance of Artifacts Buildings Structures o And how these material things become incorporated into the archaeological record
Where are the People? - It is important to understand things like power, authority, organization - But this can only tell us so much - We also want to know how these factors of civilization affected different people at different times
