Social Complexity and Political Capitals in Ancient Eurasia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23403157 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michelle Cleary (0000-0003-1156-7232, The University of Sydney, corresponding author), Michelle Negus Cleary (0000-0003-0052-742X, Archaeology, University of Sydney) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Publication date | 2018-07-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Online Only -- Archaeology (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.013.19 |
| OpenAlex | W2851124410 |
| ISBN | 9780199935413 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 37 |
This article draws upon archaeological evidence of settlement and enclosure sites as key indicators of social complexity in agro-pastoral societies of Central Asia and Inner Eurasia during the Late Iron Age–Late Antique periods. Large fortified enclosures (kalas) were the political capitals of mobile states and empires, embodying and displaying the power, status, and prestige of ruling elites. Low-density “urban” sites were located in dispersed settlement zones associated with rivers or water management systems in the Eurasian steppe and oases. These capitals were an alternative form of urbanism suited to the political organization of mobile ruling elites. This analysis provides insights into the varied modes of settlement utilized by agro-pastoral and mobile societies in extreme environmental zones.
Ancient history · Antique · Archaeology · Economic geography · Economy · Geography · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics) · Prestige · Settlement (finance) · Sociology · Steppe · Urbanism · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Architecture · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History · Law · Linguistics and language evolution
Urban anthropology
Origins of the Bronze Age oasis civilization in Central Asia
Nomads and the outside world
Pastoralist Landscapes and Social Interaction in Bronze Age Eurasia
The pivot of the four quarters
The Evolution of Urban Society
The Seasonal Residences of the Great Khan Ögedei
The Making of Bronze Age Eurasia
Le nomadisme du Grand Roi
Agriculturalists and pastoralists
Five Seasons of Excavations in the Tash-k'irman Oasis of Ancient Chorasmia, 1996-2000. An Interim Report
Early Urban Developments in Central Asia
Ojakly
Entre le fleuve et la steppe
Alexander the Great and Bactria
Karakalpak-Australian Excavations in Ancient Chorasmia, 2001–2005
Excavations at Kazakl'i-Yatkan in the Tash-Ki'rman Oasis of Ancient Chorasmia
Khorezmian Walled Sites of the Seventh Century Bc—Fourth Century Ad
Sasanian Walls, Hinterland Fortresses and Abandoned Ancient Irrigated Landscapes
Canals versus horses
Achaemenid Settlement in the Persepolis Plain
Settlement archaeology
Agriculture and herding in the early oasis settlements of the Oxus Civilization
Urban centres and the emergence of empires in Eastern Inner Asia
The Xiongnu settlements of Egiin Gol, Mongolia
Pastoral Nomads
Origins and Development of Urbanism
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,2 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2021 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |