essay

Economy, ritual, and power in 'Ubaid Mesopotamia

chiefdoms and early states in the near east : the organizational dynamics of complexity • (18) • Published In 1994 • Pages: 35-46

By: Stein, Gil.

Abstract

In this paper Stein argues that in trying to understand the culture of the 'Ubaid period of the late 6th to 5th millennia BC, the chiefdom continues to have utility as a model for early forms of administrative organization with formal leadership positions. However, the elements of the Mesopotamian 'Ubaid societies that he sees as critical for understanding social complexity are not those traits or patterns usually associated with the classic Melanesian or Mesoamerican models of chiefly society: warfare, long distance trade of exotic goods as markers of status, exaggerated symbolization of social ranking, and unstable political structures. Such behaviors are clearly documented in the archaeological record only at the very end of the 1500 year long 'Ubaid period on the eve of state formation.Stein proposes that the means of a group's attainment of chiefly status and chiefly authority can vary greatly; for this reason, the apparent lack of prestige goods in 'Ubaid Mesopotamia does not indicate the absence of chiefly rank. He suggest that D'Altroy and Earle's distinction between wealth finance and staple finance as strategies of surplus mobilization may explain some of the apparently anomalous aspects of 'Ubadi political and economic organization. In this alternative model, he argues that the chiefly elites of small scale, irrigation-based 'Ubaid polities used inclusive ideologies emphasizing group membership through a strategy of ritually mobilized staple finance instead of overtly hierarchical principles (p. 35).

HRAF PubDate

2000

Region

Middle East

Sub Region

Middle East

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Archaeologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

John Beierle ; 2006

Field Date

no date

Coverage Date

7500-5800 BP (5500-3800 BC)

Coverage Place

Iraq (southern Mesopotamia)

Notes

Gil Stein

Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-46)

LCCN

94010284

LCSH

Ubaid culture