Definition: The study of ranking and social inequality in archaeology is based on the anthropological and economic studies of Elman Service (Primitive Social Organization, 1962) and Morton Fried (Evolution of Political Societies, 1967). Basically, these works argue that there are two ways in which ranking of people in a society is arrived at: achieved status (resulting from being a great warrior or artisan) and ascribed status (inherited from a parent or other relative). The most useful way for archaeologists to take a look at the way a culture ranks its people is through the study of burials, specifically what kinds of grave goods are buried with whom. A fairly brief bibliography of
ranking and social stratification has been collected for this entry.
This glossary entry is part of the
Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the
front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of
Kris Hirst.
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