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Description: The study of chiefdoms has moved from a preoccupation with their formal characteristics to a concern with their dynamics as political institutions. The contributors to this volume are interested in how ruling elites retain power through control over production and exchange, and then legitimize that control through an elaborated ideology. The ten case studies look at particular chiefdoms, originating in specific historical conditions. Despite obvious differences between the chiefdoms, certain common underlying processes are revealed. The collection recognizes how complex and interdependent are the sources of power in society, as well as the forces of instability that constantly threaten to tear it apart. it offers a rich and varied interpretation of sociopolitical power. Contents: Timothy Earle-The evolution of chiefdoms Kristian Kristiansen- Chiefdoms, states, and systems of social evolution Richard Bradley- The pattern of change in British prehistory Timothy Earle-Property rights and evolution of chiefdoms Candelario Sáenz-Lords of the waste : predation, pastoral production, and the process of stratification among the Eastern Twaregs Patrick Kirch-Chiefship and competitive involution : the Marquesas Islands of eastern Polynesia Antonia Gilman-Trajectories towards social complexity in the later prehistory of the Mediterranean Yale Ferguson-Chiefdoms to city-states : the Greek experience Vincas Steponaitis-Contrasting patterns of Mississippian development Gary Feinman-Demography, surplus, and inequality : early political formations in highland Mesoamerica Robert Drennan-Pre-Hispanic chiefdom trajectories in Mesoamerica, Central America, and northern South America
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