Water and power in past societies / edited by Emily Holt.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Holt, Emily, 1980- editor.

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Series:

University of Buffalo. Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology. Conference. IEMA proceedings ; v. 7.

IEMA proceedings ; volume 7

The Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology distinguished monograph series

Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology distinguished monograph series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Water and civilization.

Physical Description:

xiv, 320 pages : illustrations, maps ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, [2018]

Summary:

Water, an essential resource in all cultures, is at the heart of human power structures. Utilizing a diverse range of theoretical perspectives, the contributors to Water and Power in Past Societies provide a broad introduction to the archaeology of water-related power structures. The studies herein explore the long history of water politics in human society, offering new insights into the power structures and inequalities surrounding irrigation systems, the collection of rainwater as a component of ancient industrial production, and sea water as a facilitator of communication, trade, and aggression. In addition to examining the role of different types of water in creating power relationships, the volume presents case studies from a variety of climatic regions, ranging from the very dry to the tropical. This geographical breadth facilitates cross-cultural comparison, making Water and Power in Past Societies an essential resource for instructors and students of the archaeology of water. Finally, in addition to reaching conclusions with significant implications for archaeologists and anthropologists, the volume has real contemporary relevance, often drawing explicit parallels with issues of current and future water management.

Contents:

Water and power in past societies : an introduction / Emily Holt

Part I. Productive power and the ecological history of waterscapes. The political ecology of Chinampa landscapes in the basin of Mexico / Christopher T. Morehart

Irrigation and social organization : a Longue Durée perspective from the Jordan Valley / Eva Kaptijn

Water management by mobile pastoralists in the Middle East / Emily Hammer

Water and workshops : inequality among mining sites in ancient Laurion (Greece) / Kim Van Liefferinge

Part II. Waterscapes, power plays, and display. From elite villas to public spaces : the first decorative fountains in Ancient Rome / Brenda Longfellow

From urban oasis to desert hinterland : the decline of Petra's water system. The case of the Petra garden and pool complex / Leigh-Ann Bedal

Spatial archaeology, hydrology, and the historical dynamics of water in ancient Southern Arabia (Yemen and Oman) / Michael J. Harrower

Part III. Coastal water. The sea and Bronze Age transformations / Christopher Prescott, Anette Sand-Eriksen, Knut Ivar Austvoll

Southeast Asian maritime power, seventeenth-century spice wars, and Tiworo's neglected fortifications / Jennifer L. Gaynor

The power of coastal resources : assessing maritime economic opportunity in the Roman Mediterranean / Justin Leidwanger

Part IV. Water archaeology : pasts, presents, futures. Rivers as material infrastructure : a legacy from the past to the future / Matt Edgeworth

Geologies of belonging : the political ecology of water in Central Anatolia / Ö̈mür Harmanşah

Some perspectives on the frequency of significant, historically forcing, drought and subsistence crises in Anatolia and region / Sturt W. Manning

A framework for facing the past / Vernon L Scarborough.

The political ecology of Chinampa landscapes in the basin of Mexico / Christopher T. Morehart

Irrigation and social organization: a Longue Durée perspective from the Jordan Valley / Eva Kaptijn

Water and workshops: inequality among mining sites in ancient Laurion (Greece) / Kim Van Liefferinge

From elite villas to public spaces: the first decorative fountains in Ancient Rome / Brenda Longfellow

From urban oasis to desert hinterland: the decline of Petra's water system: the case of the Petra garden and pool complex / Leigh-Ann Bedal

Spatial archaeology, hydrology and the historical dynamics of water in ancient Southern Arabia (Yemen and Oman) / Michael Harrower

The sea and Bronze Age transformations / Christopher Prescott, Anette Sand-Eriksen and Knut Ivar Austvoll

Southeast Asian maritime power, 17th century spice wars, and Tiworo's neglected fortifications / Jennifer L. Gaynor

The power of coastal resources: assessing maritime economic opportunity in the Roman Mediterranean / Justin Leidwanger

Rivers as material infrastructure: a legacy from the past to the future / Matt Edgeworth

Geologies of belonging: the political ecology of water in Central Anatolia / Ö̈mür Harmansah

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Water and power in past societies.

ISBN:

9781438468754

143846875X

9781438468761

1438468768

OCLC:

1009151891