Landlord Villages Of Iran As An Example Of Political Economy In Historical Archaeology

Summary

The high, mud brick walls enclosing whole villages owned entirely by wealthy landlords are common sites across Iran. Now largely abandoned but with occupation still within living memory, these villages offer the opportunity to explore use of space and analyses of material remains in relation to status, economic function, and individual and group identity. Analyses the walled landlord villages of the Tehran Plain have been carried out in order to explore hierarchy and control, and how these social structures are created and expressed through the spatial landscape of the villages.  Drawing on original fieldwork, the ways in which landlords used the physicality of the villages to maintain and reinforce control over farmers is explored, and it is suggested that the ‘success’ of the land tenure system in Iran prior to the later 20th century can be attributed at least in part to the buildings and spaces of the villages themselves.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Expanding the Intellectual Envelope Comparative Approaches to Political Economy   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 244