Author Description

Colonialism and its legacies have emerged as one of the most important research topics in anthropology. Nine archaeologists analyse the assumptions that have constrained previous studies of colonialism and demonstrate that colonization was common in early Old and New World state societies - an important strategy by which people gained access to critical resources. This book provides an essential empirical and theoretical benchmark upon which scholars of colonization and colonialism in other regions and periods can build their own interpretations. The contributors examine early Old World colonization efforts by Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Greece, and Rome, the establishment of foreign enclaves by indigenous New World states, such as Teotihuacan, Wari, Tiwanaku, and Inca, and the better-known European colonial expansion.