Peer-Polity Interaction

Peer Polity Interaction is a concept in archaeological theory developed by Colin Renfrew and John Cherry, to explain change in society and material culture.[1]

Peer-Polity Interaction models see the primary driver of change as the relationships and contacts between societies of relatively equal standing. According to the model set out by Renfrew,[2] it encompasses three main sorts of interaction:

  1. Competition, including warfare and competitive emulation
  2. 'Symbolic entrainment', where societies borrow symbolic systems wholesale from their neighbours, such as numerical systems, social structures and religious beliefs, because these fill a currently empty niche in their society.
  3. 'Transmission of innovation', where technology spreads by trade, gift-giving, and other forms of exchange.

Further reading
  • Colin Renfrew, John F. Cherry (Eds.): Peer Polity Interaction and Socio-Political Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1986, ISBN 0-521-11222-2.
  • John Ma: Peer Polity Interaction in the Hellenistic Age. In: Past and Present. 180, 2003, S. 9–39.
  • Anthony Snodgrass: Interaction by Design: The Greek City State. In: Ders.: Archaeology and the Emergence of Greece. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2012, ISBN 9780748623334, S. 234–257.
  • Summary of the article by Anthony Snodgrass:

Bibliography
  1. Colin Renfrew: Introduction: Peer Polity Interaction and Socio-Political Change. In: Colin Renfrew, John F. Cherry (Hrsg.) Peer Polity Interaction and Socio-Political Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1986, ISBN 0-521-11222-2, S. 1-18.
  2. Ibidem, S. 6.
gollark: So you can expand out `(x-1)(ax^3+bx^2+cx+d)` and get some kind of quartic thing.
gollark: You know it's equal to x-1 times a cubic of some sort, and you want to know exactly what cubic.
gollark: If you multiply the `(x-1)` by `(ax^3+bx^2+cx+d)` it should expand out into having an x^4 term.
gollark: I'm probably explaining this badly, hmmm.
gollark: Then set the x^4/x^3/x^2/x^1 coefficients and constant terms on each side to be equal and work out a/b/c/d.
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