The evolution of social complexity in the Early Bronze Age east Mediterranean : a cross-cultural analysis of tomb groups from the southern Levant, Cyprus, and Crete
The present thesis intends to offer an archaeological approach to the study of sociopolitical complexity in ancient societies through the cross-cultural examination of mortuary variability. The aim is to monitor different trajectories of complexity in the archaeological records of three societies in the East Mediterranean, the southern Levant, Cyprus, and Crete during the Early Bronze Age. Chapter 1 comprises a literature review of the major anthropological and archaeological perspectives on the evolution of complex societies. Chapter 2 includes a brief review on the applications of the cross-cultural method in archaeology and anthropology, and a discussion on the wider implications of the approach for archaeological research. Chapter 3 comprises a literature review on mortuary analysis and social inference in both ethnographically and archaeologically documented societies, and an outline of the methodology developed for the present research. In Chapters 4, 5 and 6, the results of the analysis of the tombs groups are presented in conjunction with a wider discussion on the evolution of complexity in each area.
Baxevani, Paraskevi A.
The evolution of social complexity in the Early Bronze Age east Mediterranean : a cross-cultural analysis of tomb groups from the southern Levant, Cyprus, and Crete. The present thesis intends to offer an archaeological approach to the study of sociopolitical complexity in ancient societies through the cross-cultural examination of mortuary variability. The aim is to monitor different trajectories of complexity in the archaeological records of three societies in the East Mediterranean, the southern Levant, Cyprus, and Crete during the Early Bronze Age. Chapter 1 comprises a literature review of the major anthropological and archaeological perspectives on the evolution of complex societies. Chapter 2 includes a brief review on the applications of the cross-cultural method in archaeology and anthropology, and a discussion on the wider implications of the approach for archaeological research. Chapter 3 comprises a literature review on mortuary analysis and social inference in both ethnographically and archaeologically documented societies, and an outline of the methodology developed for the present research. In Chapters 4, 5 and 6, the results of the analysis of the tombs groups are presented in conjunction with a wider discussion on the evolution of complexity in each area.
evolution social_complexity early_bronze_age east_mediterranean cross_cultural analysis tomb group southern_levant cyprus crete present intend_offer archaeological_study sociopolitical complexity ancient_society cross_cultural examination mortuary variability aim monitor different trajectory complexity archaeological_record society east_mediterranean southern_levant cyprus crete early_bronze_age comprises literature_review major anthropological_archaeological perspective evolution complex_society include brief_review application cross_cultural method archaeology_anthropology discussion wider_implication archaeological_research comprises literature_review mortuary analysis social inference ethnographically archaeologically documented society outline develop present research analysis tomb group present conjunction wider discussion evolution complexity area