Bronze Age Maritime and Warrior Dynamics in Island East Asia

Recent interdisciplinary studies combining scientific techniques with humanistic re-evaluations of bronze have presented archaeologists with a fresh view of the Bronze Age in Europe. Mark Hudson examines whether these approaches can also be applied to East Asia, focusing on trade, maritime interactions, and warrior culture in a comparative Eurasian framework. He argues that the international division of labor associated with Bronze Age trade provided an important stimulus to the rise of decentralised complexity in regions peripheral to alluvial states.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 07 July 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Recent interdisciplinary studies, combining scientific techniques such as ancient DNA analysis with humanistic re-evaluations of the transcultural value of bronze, have presented archaeologists with a fresh view of the Bronze Age in Europe. The new research emphasises long-distance connectivities and political decentralisation. Bronzisation is discussed as a type of proto-globalisation. In this Element, Mark Hudson examines whether these approaches can also be applied to East Asia. Focusing primarily on Island East Asia, he analyses trade, maritime interactions, and warrior culture in a comparative Eurasian framework. He argues that the international division of labour associated with Bronze Age trade provided an important stimulus to the rise of decentralised complexity in regions peripheral to alluvial states. Building on James Scott's work, the concept of the "barbarian niche" is proposed as a way to model the longue durée of premodern Eurasian history. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Introduction:
Recent interdisciplinary studies, combining scientific techniques such as ancient DNA analysis with humanistic re-evaluations of the transcultural value of bronze, have presented archaeologists with a fresh view of the Bronze Age in Europe. The new research emphasises long-distance connectivities and political decentralisation. Bronzisation is discussed as a type of proto-globalisation. In this Element, Mark Hudson examines whether these approaches can also be applied to East Asia. Focusing primarily on Island East Asia, he analyses trade, maritime interactions, and warrior culture in a comparative Eurasian framework. He argues that the international division of labour associated with Bronze Age trade provided an important stimulus to the rise of decentralised complexity in regions peripheral to alluvial states. Building on James Scott's work, the concept of the "barbarian niche" is proposed as a way to model the longue durée of premodern Eurasian history. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Bronzisation and Proto-Globalisation:
Recent interdisciplinary studies have combined scientific techniques such as ancient DNA analysis with humanistic re-evaluations of the transcultural value of bronze, providing archaeologists with a fresh view of the Bronze Age in Europe. These studies emphasise long-distance connectivities and political decentralisation, highlighting the importance of trade and maritime interactions in shaping the development of Bronze Age societies. Bronzisation is discussed as a type of proto-globalisation, where the exchange of bronze objects and ideas facilitated the spread of cultural practices and technologies across vast distances.

East Asia and the Application of Interdisciplinary Approaches:
In this Element, Mark Hudson examines whether these interdisciplinary approaches can also be applied to East Asia. Focusing primarily on Island East Asia, he analyses trade, maritime interactions, and warrior culture in a comparative Eurasian framework. Hudson argues that the international division of labour associated with Bronze Age trade provided an important stimulus to the rise of decentralised complexity in regions peripheral to alluvial states. He suggests that the concept of the "barbarian niche" can be used to model the longue durée of premodern Eurasian history, which saw the emergence of complex societies and political systems in regions such as Island East Asia.

Conclusion:
The interdisciplinary studies combining scientific techniques with humanistic re-evaluations of bronze have revolutionised our understanding of the Bronze Age in Europe. These studies emphasise long-distance connectivities and political decentralisation, highlighting the importance of trade and maritime interactions in shaping the development of Bronze Age societies. By applying these approaches to East Asia, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex and dynamic history of the region, which saw the emergence of complex societies and political systems in regions such as Island East Asia. The concept of the "barbarian niche" provides a valuable framework for modelling the longue durée of premodern Eurasian history.

Weight: 123g
ISBN-13: 9781108987318