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7 - The Status of Archaeological Knowledge in the Study of Status

Notes on Classical Greece

from Part III - Continuity and Discontinuity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2021

By
Staša Babić
Edited by
Paul Roscoe  and
Cindy Isenhour
Paul Roscoe
Affiliation:
University of Maine
Cindy Isenhour
Affiliation:
University of Maine
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Summary

Narratives of the past inform all major decisions and solutions in the present social domain, but perceptions of history are often interpreted and represented from the perspective of those with the most social power and status. In order to understand status, consumption, or any other lived experiences in the past, academic research should therefore be wary of written sources. This chapter demonstrates the value of archaeology in evaluating deeply rooted assumptions that social status is inevitably linked to privileged consumption patterns by demonstrating how the modern notion of Western democracy and its links to status and consumption differs from its idealized Classical paragon.

Keywords

Ancient and modern democraciesarchaeological inquiryconsumption patternsnarratives of the pastself-sufficiencystatus
Type
Chapter
Information
Consumption, Status, and Sustainability
Ecological and Anthropological Perspectives
 , pp. 171 - 192
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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