The Chinese Neolithic Trajectories to Early States [Hardcover]

Examination of the transformation of chiefdom societies in Neolithic China drawing on detailed archaeological data.The Yellow River valley of China, during the period ca. 7000-1500, saw the transformation of egalitarian societies into stratified chiefdoms giving rise to early states. This book examines that transformation, emphasising the interplay of many factors affecting these processes, such as climatic fluctuation, population movements, inter-group competition, warfare, and long-distance exchange of valuables. This book contains detailed archaeological data and general theoretical paradigms. It offers a comprehensive reconstruction of developmental trajectories toward social complexity during the Neolithic period, and locates prehistoric China within a global framework of social evolution.The Yellow River valley of China, during the period ca. 7000-1500, saw the transformation of egalitarian societies into stratified chiefdoms giving rise to early states. This book examines that transformation, emphasising the interplay of many factors affecting these processes, such as climatic fluctuation, population movements, inter-group competition, warfare, and long-distance exchange of valuables. This book contains detailed archaeological data and general theoretical paradigms. It offers a comprehensive reconstruction of developmental trajectories toward social complexity during the Neolithic period, and locates prehistoric China within a global framework of social evolution.The Yellow River valley of China, during the period ca. 7000-1500, saw the transformation of egalitarian societies into stratified chiefdoms giving rise to early states. This book examines that transformation, emphasizing the interplay of many factors affecting these processes, such as climatic fluctuation, population movements, inter-group competition, warfare, and long-distance exchange of valuables.List of illustrations; List of tables; Preface; 1. Setting the scene; 2. The changing environmental l›