Opulent harvest in a kingdom of stones: landscape and livelihood in a marginal upland zone

Summary

Relationships between subjecthood and rulership in northern European societies changed significantly between the late prehistoric and early modern eras, as long-extant nations were absorbed by emergent states. Using a landscape approach to food production and livelihood affordances, we study changing conditions and production strategies of forest agropastoralists in a marginal Swedish upland, through episodes of climate change and turbulent interaction with governing powers. Perspectives on relationships between farmers and kings have long been dominated by top-down theories, suggesting that subject populations are forced or coerced into submission by 'rising' states. In contrast, we argue that governments are supported by the productive capacity of their constituents, and rulers are held in place (or not) based on the authority granted by their subjects, even in authoritarian states.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Consuming Landscapes

Keywords

Spatial Coverage