Hierarchies and Heterarchies in Iron Age Europe

Summary

Traditionally, Iron Age communities have been depicted as hierarchical, triangular societies, with elites at the top of the social pyramid and a strong warrior tradition. However, archaeological evidence reveals very varied patterns of societies during the First Millennium BC in Europe, from those that display marked signs of social hierarchy, to others where social differentiation was much less pronounced. This paper aims to contribute to the task of rethinking Iron Age communities from the perspective of diversity, using the concepts of ‘economies of power’ and ‘heterarchy’ as starting points. Broadly speaking, it is possible to make a distinction between mechanisms of ‘political economies’ that develop inequalities and hierarchies, and others of ‘moral economies’ that emphasise egalitarian values.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Historical Ecology, Heterarchy and Multitemporal Dynamics: Papers in Honor of Carole Crumley

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