The Myth of the Chief

Prestige Goods, Power, and Personhood in the European Bronze Age

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7534673
AutoresJoanna Brück (0000-0001-8942-5504, School of Archaeology, University College, Dublin, autor de correspondencia), David Fontijn (Leiden University)
Año2013
Páginas197-215
Fecha de publicación2013-09-05
Open AccessNo
TipoBOOK
RevistaThe Oxford Handbook Of The European Bronze Age (SOURCE_BOOK)
EditorialOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199572861.013.0011
OpenAlexW1564023910
ISBN9780199572861
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas39

This article addresses the myth of the chief in Europe during the Bronze Age. It shows that the European Bronze Age societies were originally labelled as ‘warrior aristocracies’ or ‘petty princes’, but are now generally imagined as chiefdoms. The article defines chiefdoms as ranked and centralised societies that are led by chiefs and are usually seen as a developmental bridge between bureaucratic states and egalitarian societies. It then studies the adoption of bronze as an important factor in the arrival of social stratification and its use as prestige goods, and introduces the concept of ‘wealth finance’. The article also argues that it is time to form a new way of thinking about the forms of institutionalised and male-dominated hierarchies which are often included in literature on the European Bronze Age

Ancient history · Art · Bronze · Bronze Age · Literature · Mythology · Personhood · Political science · Power (physics · Prestige · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · History · Law · Philosophy