Bronze Age Economies of the Carpathian Basin: Trade, Craft Production, and Agro-Pastoral Intensification.

Abstract

This thesis develops a general anthropological framework through which factors underlying the emergence of (and variability within) complex political formations can be understood, which I apply to Early-Middle Bronze societies of the Carpathian Basin (c. 2700-1500 BC). I use economy as a means to assess the processes underpinning emergent administrative institutions, since whatever their form, they require novel means of finance. A fundamental aspect of political economies is centralization, in which control over the economy is increasingly held in the hands of the elite or a ruling class. I target three major aspects of the economy: (1) regional exchange, (2) craft manufacture, and (3) agro-pastoral systems. For each of these, I establish methods that allow the relative degree of centralization to be assessed over time within individual settlements as well as between contemporary groups. Agro-pastoral systems are given special attention as they have not been well integrated into studies of early complex societies. I employ this economic framework to examine the uneven development of complex societies in the Carpathian Basin Bronze Age. This is a period in which regional hierarchies develop in some areas while in others they do not, creating a mosaic of contemporary political forms. My methods highlight common economic pathways that the more complex systems share, including increased centralization of long-distance exchange and local manufacture of prestige goods at emergent political centers. However, I also demonstrate that intensification within agro-pastoral sectors is equally important, the specific form of which is highly variable among polities. In particular, emergent centers all show a movement away from small-scale, risk-averse animal economies towards those that place greater emphasis on one or more high-value animal products, such as wool or large-bodied livestock. At Pecica Şanţul Mare (Middle Maros), the focal study group, a unique economy developed, one that specialized in the breeding of horses; animals that generally occur in low numbers at this time. The period of peak horse production coincides with elaborate horse-centered feasting and early evidence for chariotry in the Carpathian Basin. Horses may have even overshadowed metal production as the primary export commodity for this community.