book chapter
The Monte Albán synoikism
Zapotec civilization : how urban society evolved in Mexico's Oaxaca Valley, Joyce Marcus, Kent V. Flannery • New York, N.Y. • Published In 1996 • Pages: 139-154, 248
By: Marcus, Joyce, Flannery, Kent V..
Abstract
Marcus and Flannery discuss how quickly Monte Albán became a city in what had been a no-man's-land in the Rosario phase. They examine the 'urban revolution' or the bringing together of many settlements to form a single polity (synoikism) that occurred during Monte Albán I and compare it to what occurred in ancient Greece. The reasons behind this process were not environmental, agricultural, or economic, but political as it is very costly to resettle large numbers of people. The evidence for this political process can be seen in the evidence for warfare and in the monuments to conquest which depict named, in other word known, slain or sacrificed enemies; indicating competing elites within the Valley of Oaxaca were behind the synoikism.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2010
- Region
- Middle America and the Caribbean
- Sub Region
- General Middle America and the Caribbean
- Document Type
- book chapter
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- Analyst
- Sarah Berry; 2008
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- 2500-2100 BP (500-100 BC)
- Coverage Place
- Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico
- Notes
- Joyce Marcus, Kent V. Flannery
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 248)
- LCCN
- 95060561
- LCSH
- Zapotec Indians--Antiquities/Zapotec Indians--Politics and government/Land settlement--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley/Excavations (Archaeology)--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley/Oaxaca Valley (Mexico)--Antiquities