Pluralising power: ceramics and social differentiation in Bronze Age central Eurasia

Archaeological research on Bronze Age central Eurasia often recognizes 'exotic' materials and practices as the outcome of migration and trans-regional exchange. In this analysis, we bring together two significant datasets that have long referred to one another but have rarely conversed ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World archaeology 2021-10, Vol.53 (5), p.779-808
Main Authors: Doumani Dupuy, Paula N., Luneau, Elise, Rouse, Lynne M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amalgamation
Andronovo
Archaeological research
Archaeology and Prehistory
Bronze Age
Central Asia
Ceramics
Differentiation
Eurasian Steppe
Humanities and Social Sciences
Oxus Civilization/BMAC
Prioritizing
Social environment
Social power
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Summary:Archaeological research on Bronze Age central Eurasia often recognizes 'exotic' materials and practices as the outcome of migration and trans-regional exchange. In this analysis, we bring together two significant datasets that have long referred to one another but have rarely conversed analytically: 'southern' ceramics in northern central Eurasia and reciprocal 'northern' ceramics in southern Central Asia. Taking the amalgamation of technical traits and cultural affiliations in these ceramics as a starting point, we argue that 'exotic' wares were implicated across the region in diverse systems of social power reliant on differentiation. By comparing the social contexts of our northern and southern ceramic datasets, we identify variability in the signaling of 'exoticness' across subregions to alternately include or exclude groups. This discussion sets up a middle ground between overgeneralizing and under-hypothesizing the socio-cultural landscapes in Bronze Age central Eurasia, by prioritizing the role of 'exotic' technologies in choreographing dynamic social power.
ISSN:0043-8243
1470-1375
DOI:10.1080/00438243.2021.1993987