Archaeology of Communities

The Archaeology of Communities develops a critical evaluation of community and shows that it represents more than a mere aggregation of households. This collection bridges the gap between studies of ancient societies and ancient households. The community is taken to represent more than a mere aggregation of households, it exists in part through shared identities, as well as frequent interaction and inter-household integration.
Drawing on case studies which range in location from the Mississippi Valley to New Mexico, from the Southern Andes to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Madison County, Virginia, the book explores and discusses communities from a whole range of periods, from Pre-Columbian to the late Classic. Discussions of actual communities are reinforced by strong debate on, for example, the distinction between 'Imagined Community' and 'Natural Community.'

Chapter 1 Introductionducing an Archaeology of Communities, Jason Yaeger, Marcello A. Canuto; Chapter 2 Politicization and Community in the Pre-Columbian Mississippi Valley, Timothy R. Pauketat; Chapter 3 Heterarchy and Hierarchy, Mark W. Mehrer; Chapter 4 Making Pueblo Communities, Robert W. Preucel; Chapter 5 Between the Household and the Empire, Timothy S. Hare; Chapter 6 ";Crafting" Communities, Mary Lee Bartlett, Patricia A. McAnany; Chapter 7 The Social Construction of Communities in the Classic Maya Countryside, Jason Yaeger; Chapter 8 Heterarchy, History, and Material Reality, Rosemary A. Joyce, Julia A. Hendon; Chapter 9 Gender, Status, and Community in Early Formative Valdivia Society, James A. Zeidler; Chapter 10 Communities without Borders, Paul S. Goldstein; Chapter 11 Archaeological Considerations of ";Appalachian" Identity, Audrey J. Horning; Chapter 12 Toward an Archaeology of Communities, Joyce Marcus; Chapter 13 What we should be Studying, William H. Isbell;