Manzanilla Linda R., Rothman Mitchell (eds.). Storage in Ancient Complex Societies: Administration, Organization, and Control

Routledge, 2016. — 350 p.The ability to accumulate and store large amounts of goods is a key feature of complex societies in ancient times. Storage strategies reflect the broader economic and political organization of a society and changes in the development of control mechanisms in both administrative and non-administrative - often kinship based - sectors. This is the first volume to examine storage practices in ancient complex societies from a comparative perspective. This volume includes 14 original papers by leading archaeologists from four continents which compare storage systems in three key regions with lengthy traditions of complexity: the ancient Near East, Mesoamerica, and Andes. Storage in Ancient Complex Societies demonstrates the importance of understanding storage for the study of cultural evolution.Linda R. Manzanilla is professor and researcher at the Institute of Anthropological Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Mitchell S. Rothman is professor and chair of Anthropology and Archaeology, Widener University and Consulting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.