Premodern Economies
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- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication date:
- 22 January 2026
- 20 August 2026
- ISBN:
- 9781009677202
- 9781009677219
- Dimensions:
- (253 x 177 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.8kg, 314 Pages
- Dimensions:
- Weight & Pages:
- Subjects:
- Prehistory, Ancient History, Classical Studies, Archaeology
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- Prehistory, Ancient History, Classical Studies, Archaeology
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Book description
Economies are fundamental to all human societies by providing the material support for their populations and respective social institutions. This volume brings together scholars from archaeology, anthropology, and history in a collaborative examination of how premodern societies produced and mobilized resources to support social, political, and religious institutions. Thirteen societies from horticultural/pastoral groups to expansionistic states are used to develop a truly comparative view of economic development. Topics discussed include the nature of productive self-sufficiency, forms of economic specialization, the economics of labor and resource mobilization, economic inequality and stratification, commerce and the marketplace, and urban and ritual economies. The book's collective discussions have led to the construction of five generalizations and eighteen specific hypotheses about the way that ancient and premodern societies navigated the material worlds in which they lived. These hypotheses will serve as a basis for scholars exploring how societies in other times and places navigated their economic landscapes.
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