The Yellow River valley of China, during the period ca. 7000-1500, saw the transformation of egalitarian societies into stratified chiefdoms giving rise to early states. This book examines that transformation, emphasizing the interplay of many factors affecting these processes, such as climatic fluctuation, population movements, inter-group competition, warfare, and long-distance exchange of valuables.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
List of illustrations; List of tables; Preface; 1. Setting the scene; 2. The changing environmental contexts of China's first complex societies; 3. Household subsistence and ritual; 4. Spatial organization and social relations in communities; 5. Community burial patterns; 6. Development and decline of complex societies in the Central Plains; 7. Development and decline of social complexity beyond the Central Plains; 8. Trajectories toward early states; 9. Reconstructing social processes; Notes; Appendixes; References; Index.
