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Does Practice Make Perfect? Craft Expertise as a Factor in Aggrandizer Strategies

Olausson, Deborah LU orcid (2008) In Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 15. p.28-50
Abstract
The focus of this article is on exploring craft expertise and its potential as a factor in aggrandizer strategies. It is argued that there are elements of natural aptitude which enabled certain individuals to excel at flintknapping, allowing them to create objects of exceptional size and beauty in acts of elaborate knapping. Practice alone will enable an individual to reach a certain level of proficiency, but only practice in combination with ability can result in world-class performance. If, as is argued, native ability in some domain is a rare commodity, then harnessing it and developing it through practice would provide an opportunity for a potential aggrandizer to control prestige goods and accrue social capital. In situations where... (More)
The focus of this article is on exploring craft expertise and its potential as a factor in aggrandizer strategies. It is argued that there are elements of natural aptitude which enabled certain individuals to excel at flintknapping, allowing them to create objects of exceptional size and beauty in acts of elaborate knapping. Practice alone will enable an individual to reach a certain level of proficiency, but only practice in combination with ability can result in world-class performance. If, as is argued, native ability in some domain is a rare commodity, then harnessing it and developing it through practice would provide an opportunity for a potential aggrandizer to control prestige goods and accrue social capital. In situations where raw material, knowledge, and know-how are ubiquitous, as may have been true for flint technology in southern Scandinavia during the Late Neolithic, this might be one of few means available for a would-be aggrandizer to control prestigious goods. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
inherited abilities, practice, Late Neolithic flint daggers, Flintknappers
in
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
volume
15
pages
28 - 50
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000256904100002
  • scopus:40249106456
ISSN
1573-7764
DOI
10.1007/s10816-007-9049-x
project
Handmade. Crafting and social strategies in the Scandinavian Neolithic
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ecbbd076-06ae-437e-8f01-24a56e37558a (old id 1054627)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:16:39
date last changed
2022-03-21 17:39:30
@article{ecbbd076-06ae-437e-8f01-24a56e37558a,
  abstract     = {{The focus of this article is on exploring craft expertise and its potential as a factor in aggrandizer strategies. It is argued that there are elements of natural aptitude which enabled certain individuals to excel at flintknapping, allowing them to create objects of exceptional size and beauty in acts of elaborate knapping. Practice alone will enable an individual to reach a certain level of proficiency, but only practice in combination with ability can result in world-class performance. If, as is argued, native ability in some domain is a rare commodity, then harnessing it and developing it through practice would provide an opportunity for a potential aggrandizer to control prestige goods and accrue social capital. In situations where raw material, knowledge, and know-how are ubiquitous, as may have been true for flint technology in southern Scandinavia during the Late Neolithic, this might be one of few means available for a would-be aggrandizer to control prestigious goods.}},
  author       = {{Olausson, Deborah}},
  issn         = {{1573-7764}},
  keywords     = {{inherited abilities; practice; Late Neolithic flint daggers; Flintknappers}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{28--50}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory}},
  title        = {{Does Practice Make Perfect? Craft Expertise as a Factor in Aggrandizer Strategies}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10816-007-9049-x}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10816-007-9049-x}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}