This volume examines the commensal politics of early states and empires and offers a comparative perspective on how food and feasting have figured in the political calculus of archaic states in both the Old and New Worlds. It provides a cross-cultural and comparative analysis for scholars and graduate students concerned with the archaeology of complex societies, the anthropology of food and feasting, ancient statecraft, archaeological approaches to micro-political processes, and the social interpretation of prehistoric pottery.

Inhalt

The Development of Horticulture in the Eastern Woodlands of North America: Women's Role.- The Commensal Politics of Early States and Empires.- Old World.- Feasts, Funerals, and Fast Food in Early Mesopotamian States.- Pharaohs, Feasts, and Foreigners.- Feasting the Ancestors in Early China.- New World.- To Dine Splendidly.- From Stew-Eaters to Maize-Drinkers.- Pots, Politics, and Power.- Feasting at Home.- Aztec Feasts Rituals and Markets.- Concluding Remarks.- Clearing the Table.- Epilogue.- Feasting and the Practice of Stately Manners.