Andean Archaeology I: Variations in Sociopolitical Organization [Hardcover]

William H. Isbell (Editor), Helaine Silverman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0306467720 | ISBN-13: 978-0306467721 | Edition: 1

The origins and development of civilization are vital components to the understanding of the cultural processes that create human societies. Comparing and contrasting the evolutionary sequences from different civilizations is one approach to discovering their unique development. One area for comparison is in the Central Andes where several societies remained in isolation without a written language. As a direct result, the only resource for understanding these societies is in their material artefacts. In this work, the focus is on what the material remains reveal about the sociopolitical structures of the Central Andes region. This focus on ancient identity politics adopts a perspective that explicitly interrogates the processes and strategies by which higher social groups acted as self-interested agents in the achievement and maintenance of differential status, including: symbols of power and their role in the construction of an elite identity; social legitimization and achievement of economic or material power; design of architecture for the display of power and exercise of social control; and promotion of labor-intensive agriculture for the purpose of surplus production and extraction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Reviews: "[...]these volumes stand as an excellent overview of current Andean archaeological research, outside the confines of a particular school or perspective. This is, to my knowledge, the first English-language edited overview of Andean archaeology to be produced in at least 10 years. Both volumes should be on the shelves of all Andean prehistorians and university libraries, and could also provide an introduction to current Andean research for archaeologists working in other places. For those who teach an undergraduate course on the prehistory of the Andes either or both books would provide an excellent, and conveniently packaged, selection of in-depth materials that could accompany a more general text. Those with a general interest in the prehistory of the Andes will find much detail in Silverman and Isbell's volumes. The authors are to be congratulated on such a wide-ranging collection, and here is hoping that their wish to add further volumes to the series is realized in the near future." (Ross W. Jamieson, Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 394 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (June 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306467720
• ISBN-13: 978-0306467721
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)