Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna The Origins of a West African Political System Approaches to Anthropological Archaeology Series

Many West African societies have egalitarian political systems, with non-centralised distributions of power. 'Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna' analyses a wide range of archaeological data to explore the development of such societies. The volume offers a detailed case study of the village settlement of Kirikongo in western Burkina Faso. Over the course of the first millennium, this single homestead extended control over a growing community. The book argues that the decentralization of power in the twelfth century BCE radically transformed this society, changing gender roles, public activities, pottery making and iron-working. 'Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna' will be of interest to students of political science, anthropology, archaeology and the history of West Africa.

CHAPTER 1: DECENTRALIZATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF EGALITARIAN BEHAVIORS IN SEDENTARY SOCIETIES CHAPTER 2: ANCIENT VILLAGES IN THE NIGER BEND: CONTEXT AND METHODS FOR EXPLORING THE VOLTAIC REGION CHAPTER 3: ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES ON WESTERN BURKINA FASO- A SURVEY CHAPTER 4: KIRIKONGO- AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE, THE SETTING, AND RESEARCH DESIGN CHAPTER 5: THE WEST AFRICAN ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING- KIRIKONGO IN ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT CHAPTER 6: STRATIGRAPHIC AND DEPOSITIONAL EPISODES- THE EXCAVATIONS CHAPTER 7: RELATIVE CHRONOLOGY- CERAMICS CHAPTER 8: COMMUNITY GROWTH AT KIRIKONGO- THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SETTING CHAPTER 9: EARLY SEDENTARY LIFE IN THE VOLTAIC REGION- DEFINING A VOLTAIC TRADITIONA" CHAPTER 10: CRAFT PRODUCTION AT KIRIKONGO: THE ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENT, AND REINTERPRETATION OF SPECIALIZATION CHAPTER 11: HERDING, FARMING, AND RITUAL SACRIFICE- THE ECONOMY FROM KIRIKONGO CHAPTER 12: DEATH AND RITUAL OBJECTS AT KIRIKONGO- HOUSE-BASED SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION CHAPTER 13: ARCHAEOLOGICAL PATTERNS AND SOCIAL PROCESS: RECONSTRUCTING CHANGING LIFE AT KIRIKONGO CHAPTER 14: LAND, SPIRITUAL POWER, AND GERONTOCRACY: AN EXPLORATION OF THE ROOTS OF EGALITARIAN REVOLUTION IN THE WESTERN VOLTAIC REGION CHAPTER 15:HIERARCHY AND EGALITARIANISM WITHIN THE NIGER BEND- REVOLUTION AND THE TRIUMPH OF COMMUNALISM

Stephen A. Dueppen is ACLS New Faculty Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon.