Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781107059375)

In this book, Lynne Kelly explores the role of formal knowledge systems in small-scale oral cultures in both historic and archaeological contexts. In the first part, she examines knowledge systems within historically recorded oral cultures, showing how the link between power and the control of knowledge is established. Analyzing the material mnemonic devices used by documented oral cultures, she demonstrates how early societies maintained a vast corpus of pragmatic information concerning animal behavior, plant properties, navigation, astronomy, genealogies, laws and trade agreements, among other matters. In the second part Kelly turns to the archaeological record of three sites, Chaco Canyon, Poverty Point and Stonehenge, offering new insights into the purpose of the monuments and associated decorated objects. This book demonstrates how an understanding of rational intellect, pragmatic knowledge and mnemonic technologies in prehistoric societies offers a new tool for analysis of monumental structures built by non-literature cultures.

Author: Lynne Kelly
ISBN-10: 1107059372
ISBN-13: 9781107059375
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 05/19/2015
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.75lbs
Size: 10.10h x 7.00w x 0.90d