The Archaeology of Ancient State Economies
| Title | The Archaeology of Ancient State Economies |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2004 |
| Authors | Smith, M. E. |
| Journal | Annual Review of Anthropology |
| Volume | 33 |
| Pagination | 73-102 |
| Abstract | ■ Abstract This review addresses methods and theories for the archaeologicalstudy of ancient state economies, from the earliest states through the Classical periodand beyond. Research on this topic within anthropological archaeology has beenheld back by reliance on simple concepts and an impoverished notion of the extentof variation in ancient state economies. First I review a long-standing debate betweenscholars who see similarities with modern capitalist economies (modernists and formalists)and those who see ancient economies as radically different from their moderncounterparts (primitivists and substantivists). I suggest that the concept of the levelof commercialization provides an avenue for transcending this debate and movingresearch in more productive directions. Next I review work on the traditional archaeologicaltopics of production and exchange. A discussion of the scale of the economy(households, temple and palace institutions, state finance, cities and regional systems,and international economies) reveals considerable variation between and within ancientstates. I review key topics in current archaeological political economy, includingcommercial exchange, money, property, labor, and the nature of economic change, andclose with suggestions for future research. |
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