The Warfare Paradox, or All Quiet on the Western Tennessee Valley Archaic

Author(s): D. Shane Miller

Year: 2017

Summary

The complex hunter-gatherers of the Middle and Late Archaic periods in the Tennessee River Valley of the American Southeast are well-known for displaying evidence of intergroup violence, including scalping and trophy taking. On the other hand, these time periods are also known for the emergence of exchange networks centered on items including bone pins and bifaces. I argue that the co-occurrence of exchange networks and intergroup violence was likely the result of iterated "live and let live" or "tit for tat" strategy for coping with increasing demographic pressure.

Cite this Record

The Warfare Paradox, or All Quiet on the Western Tennessee Valley Archaic. D. Shane Miller. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 430842)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -91.274; min lat: 24.847 ; max long: -72.642; max lat: 36.386 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16968