The Evolution of Political Systems: Sociopolitics in Small Scale Sedentary Societies (School of American Research Advanced Seminar Series)

ISBN 10: 0521382521 / ISBN 13: 9780521382526

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1990

About this Item

Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have condition issues including wear and notes/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!

Seller Inventory # S_429953598

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Evolution of Political Systems: Sociopolitics in Small Scale Sedentary Societies (School of American Research Advanced Seminar Series)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521382521
• ISBN 13: 9780521382526
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Acceptable

About this title

Synopsis

Throughout the world, the development of agriculture produced dramatic changes in human cultural systems. As people settled down in one locality, populations grew rapidly, patterns of subsistence were transformed, technology became more advanced, and the nature of social and political relations changed. People no longer interacted exclusively with kin, as they had in the past when organized in bands, and new forms of political relationships between groups were established. The emergence of these political systems was the first step in the evolution of the state. The contributors to this book rely on archaeological and ethnographic case studies to examine the social, economic, and political processes behind the development of these "middle-range" political systems, located on a continuum between communally organized hunter-gatherer bands and stratified, centralized chiefdoms and states.