Craft specialization as an agent of social power in the south Scandinavian Neolithic
Olausson, Deborah LU
(1997)
p.269-277
- Abstract
- The ability to identify craft specialization in the archaeological record has wider ramifications for the study of prehistoric society, since it is apparent that there is a certain relationship between the organization of craft specialization and social complexity. It is fruitful to distinguish among 3 categories here: household production on the one hand, and attached and independent craft specialists on the other. We should expect a lack of craft specialization in egalitarian societies, attached specialist production of hypertrophic (i.e., not practically useful) goods in ranked societies, and independent specialist production of labor-cheap (mainly utilitarian) goods in state-level societies. The paper presents the author’s attempts to... (More)
- The ability to identify craft specialization in the archaeological record has wider ramifications for the study of prehistoric society, since it is apparent that there is a certain relationship between the organization of craft specialization and social complexity. It is fruitful to distinguish among 3 categories here: household production on the one hand, and attached and independent craft specialists on the other. We should expect a lack of craft specialization in egalitarian societies, attached specialist production of hypertrophic (i.e., not practically useful) goods in ranked societies, and independent specialist production of labor-cheap (mainly utilitarian) goods in state-level societies. The paper presents the author’s attempts to explore craft specialization in the Swedish Neolithic. Artifact types which are studied include flint axes and flint daggers as well as several groundstone artifact types. Studies of the ease and speed of manufacture, possible manufacturing loci, and standardization are among the means used to identify possible specialization in the Swedish Neolithic. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/538938
- author
- Olausson, Deborah
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 1997
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- flint daggers, craft specialization, aggrandizers, flint axes
- host publication
- Man and Flint
- editor
- Schild, Romuald and Sulgotowska, Zofia
- pages
- 269 - 277
- publisher
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography Polish Academy of Sciences
- ISBN
- 83-85463-55-0
- project
- Handmade. Crafting and social strategies in the Scandinavian Neolithic
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 1289471a-bcb0-4e70-bb7f-cc4c08802bfd (old id 538938)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:26:39
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 21:04:53
@inproceedings{1289471a-bcb0-4e70-bb7f-cc4c08802bfd,
abstract = {{The ability to identify craft specialization in the archaeological record has wider ramifications for the study of prehistoric society, since it is apparent that there is a certain relationship between the organization of craft specialization and social complexity. It is fruitful to distinguish among 3 categories here: household production on the one hand, and attached and independent craft specialists on the other. We should expect a lack of craft specialization in egalitarian societies, attached specialist production of hypertrophic (i.e., not practically useful) goods in ranked societies, and independent specialist production of labor-cheap (mainly utilitarian) goods in state-level societies. The paper presents the author’s attempts to explore craft specialization in the Swedish Neolithic. Artifact types which are studied include flint axes and flint daggers as well as several groundstone artifact types. Studies of the ease and speed of manufacture, possible manufacturing loci, and standardization are among the means used to identify possible specialization in the Swedish Neolithic.}},
author = {{Olausson, Deborah}},
booktitle = {{Man and Flint}},
editor = {{Schild, Romuald and Sulgotowska, Zofia}},
isbn = {{83-85463-55-0}},
keywords = {{flint daggers; craft specialization; aggrandizers; flint axes}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{269--277}},
publisher = {{Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography Polish Academy of Sciences}},
title = {{Craft specialization as an agent of social power in the south Scandinavian Neolithic}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5775074/3615866.pdf}},
year = {{1997}},
}