essay
The prehistory of imperialism: the case of Uruk period Mesopotamia
uruk mesopotamia & its neighbors : cross-cultural interactions in the era of state formation • Sante Fe, Nm • Published In 2001 • Pages: 27-83
By: Algaze, Guillermo.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this essay Algaze argues that cases of pristine state formation, by their very nature, involve processes of external expansion that can be characterized as early examples of economic imperialism. During the fourth millennium BC., polities in the southern alluvium of Mesopotamia developed enough societal complexity to warrant classifying them as states, as was the case during the Uruk Period. This societal evolution was based on the development of higher-level administrative systems, increased economic specialization, a significant increase in the labor pool, centralization of some key activities (religious ritual , military action, and policing), the production and distribution of foodstuffs and other goods, and increased social stratification. The author describes the effects of these factors on Uruk civilization during the period under discussion.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Theoretical orientation in research and its results
- External trade
- Retail marketing
- Settlement patterns
- History and culture change
- Acculturation and culture contact
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Late Chalcolithic Mesopotamia
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2000
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Middle East
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Middle East
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle; 2006
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- no date
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- Uruk Period, 5800-5100 BP (3800-3100 BC)
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Iraq
- NotesAdditional notes
- Guillermo Algaze
- For bibliographical references see document 17:Rothman
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 2001049321
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Middle East--Civilization--To 622/Erech (Extinct city)