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Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe
Dissertation (MA (Archaeology))--University of Pretoria, 2020.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613598051729408 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Ashley, Ceri |
| author_browse | Ashley, Ceri |
| author_facet | Ashley, Ceri |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MA (Archaeology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/73176 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:41.391Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/73176 Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe Ashley, Ceri annaboot88@gmail.com Boot, Annemarie Christel Archaeology Mapungubwe Prestige goods system Shell disk beads Social complexity Trade-stimulus hypothesis Sources of elite UCTD Dissertation (MA (Archaeology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. Trade and prestige goods have frequently been suggested as a source of elite power and change in socio-political complexity. This thesis will focus on the possible presence of the prestige goods system in the Mapungubwe society of the 13th century. Recent research has cast doubt on whether such a system existed and whether elites could exert so much control over trade (Moffett & Chirikure 2016). The value associated with goods typically interpreted as prestige goods, such as glass beads and metals used in adornment, have also been reinterpreted. This dissertation aims to find out whether the glass beads and metals mentioned above have attributes that could belong to prestige goods and whether these artefacts match patterns of distribution that prestige goods would be associated with. Disk beads are also considered and compared to glass beads to find out whether there are clear differences in association with prestige. Change in value or prestige is also considered. The change and the prestige or value present at Mapungubwe is placed in the context of the larger Zimbabwe Culture. Artefacts are compared primarily across areas of the Mapungubwe site and then to other sites. Results indicate that some association existed between elites and larger quantities of glass beads, gold, and likely also with other metals of adornment containing copper and iron. It can therefore be inferred that elites had greater control over these goods than commoners had. All aspects of prestige goods systems, such as the storage of goods and their specific social use cannot be proven. However, the possibility still exists that the prestige goods system was present. NRF, AOP150925143015 Anthropology and Archaeology MA (Archaeology) Unrestricted 2020-02-10T12:32:02Z 2020-02-10T12:32:02Z 2020-04-17 2020 Dissertation Boot, AC 2020, Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe, Masters dissertation, University of Pretoria, viewed yymmdd http://hdl.handle.net/2263/73176 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/73176 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Archaeology Mapungubwe Prestige goods system Shell disk beads Social complexity Trade-stimulus hypothesis Sources of elite UCTD Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe |
| title | Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe |
| title_full | Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe |
| title_fullStr | Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe |
| title_short | Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe |
| title_sort | prestige goods and socio political complexity at mapungubwe |
| topic | Archaeology Mapungubwe Prestige goods system Shell disk beads Social complexity Trade-stimulus hypothesis Sources of elite UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/73176 |