Seaways to Complexity. Sociopolitical Strategies in Northwestern Scandinavia in the Early Bronze Age

Summary

Along the northwestern coast of Scandinavia the reliance and utilisation of the sea set the stage for a more advanced sociopolitical organization. The technological innovations prompted by the Late Neolithic (i.e. ship technology), turned the sea into a connective arena of interaction and trade. This is seen with the widespread distribution of finely crafted Jutish flint daggers from Late Neolithic I, followed by a steady increase of metal, burial mounds, and settlement sites in Late Neolithic II and the Early Bronze Age. Despite having a material culture expressive of a region well-integrated within a Nordic World System, these societies are juxtaposed by a long coastline of climatic and ecological distinctiveness that forces insular practices in subsistence and organization. This paper will explore the contrasting practices in sociopolitical organization and the strategies implemented to take advantage of the local resource potential. The dependency of trade is identified as a key element to uphold power in certain regions, exercised through coercive strategies, but the paper also points to the inevitable fragility of such an organisation and the more long-term stability of cooperative strategies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17683