Farming, Hunting, and Fishing in the Olmec World

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology
Cover of the book Farming, Hunting, and Fishing in the Olmec World by Amber M. VanDerwarker, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Amber M. VanDerwarker ISBN: 9780292773783
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Amber M. VanDerwarker
ISBN: 9780292773783
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

The Olmec who anciently inhabited Mexico's southern Gulf Coast organized their once-egalitarian society into chiefdoms during the Formative period (1400 BC to AD 300). This increase in political complexity coincided with the development of village agriculture, which has led scholars to theorize that agricultural surpluses gave aspiring Olmec leaders control over vital resources and thus a power base on which to build authority and exact tribute. In this book, Amber VanDerwarker conducts the first multidisciplinary analysis of subsistence patterns at two Olmec settlements to offer a fuller understanding of how the development of political complexity was tied to both agricultural practices and environmental factors. She uses plant and animal remains, as well as isotopic data, to trace the intensification of maize agriculture during the Late Formative period. She also examines how volcanic eruptions in the region affected subsistence practices and settlement patterns. Through these multiple sets of data, VanDerwarker presents convincing evidence that Olmec and epi-Olmec lifeways of farming, hunting, and fishing were driven by both political and environmental pressures and that the rise of institutionalized leadership must be understood within the ecological context in which it occurred.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Olmec who anciently inhabited Mexico's southern Gulf Coast organized their once-egalitarian society into chiefdoms during the Formative period (1400 BC to AD 300). This increase in political complexity coincided with the development of village agriculture, which has led scholars to theorize that agricultural surpluses gave aspiring Olmec leaders control over vital resources and thus a power base on which to build authority and exact tribute. In this book, Amber VanDerwarker conducts the first multidisciplinary analysis of subsistence patterns at two Olmec settlements to offer a fuller understanding of how the development of political complexity was tied to both agricultural practices and environmental factors. She uses plant and animal remains, as well as isotopic data, to trace the intensification of maize agriculture during the Late Formative period. She also examines how volcanic eruptions in the region affected subsistence practices and settlement patterns. Through these multiple sets of data, VanDerwarker presents convincing evidence that Olmec and epi-Olmec lifeways of farming, hunting, and fishing were driven by both political and environmental pressures and that the rise of institutionalized leadership must be understood within the ecological context in which it occurred.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book The Earth Remains Forever by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book The Neoliberal Diet by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Cormac McCarthy and Performance by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Watunna by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book A Young Palestinian's Diary, 1941–1945 by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, and Pelados by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Mayas in the Marketplace by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book The Life of Our Language by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Foxboy by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Forgiveness by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Diodorus Siculus, The Persian Wars to the Fall of Athens by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Corruption in Cuba by Amber M. VanDerwarker
Cover of the book Soldiers of Misfortune by Amber M. VanDerwarker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy