Architectural energetics in archaeology : analytical expansions and global explorations

Description

"Archaeologists and the public at large have long been fascinated by monumental architecture built by past societies. Whether considering the earthworks in the Ohio Valley or the grandest pyramids in Egypt and Mexico, people have been curious as to how pre-modern societies with limited technology were capable of constructing monuments of such outstanding scale and quality. Architectural energetics is a methodology within archaeology that generates estimates of the amount of labor and time allocated to construct these past monuments. This methodology allows for detailed analyses of architecture and especially the analysis of the social power underlying such projects. This volume assembles an international array of scholars who have analyzed architecture from archaeological and historic societies using architectural energetics. It is the first such volume of its kind. In addition to applying architectural energetics to a global range of architectural works, it outlines in detail the estimates of costs that can be used in future architectural analyses. This volume will serve anthropological archaeology and classics professors teaching undergraduate and graduate courses related to social power and architecture. It also will interest architects examining past construction and engineering projects. Finally, the public, especially those historically related to past builders, will find new ways to understand the achievements of their ancestors"--  Read more... Massive assumptions and moundbuilders : the history, method, and relevance of architectural energetics / Elliot M. Abrams and Leah McCurdy -- Built environments and social organizations : a comparative view from Asia / Nam C. Kim and Jina Heo -- Pharaonic power and architectural labor investment at the Karnak Temple complex, Egypt / Megan Drennan and Michael J. Kolb -- An energetics approach to the construction of the Heuneburg : thoughts on Celtic labor cost choices / François Remise -- To house and defend : the application of architectural energetics to southeast Archaic Greek Sicily / Jerrad Lancaster -- Labor mobilization and medieval castle construction in at Salemi, Western Sicily / Michael J. Kolb, Scott Detrich Kirk, and William M. Balco -- Labor recruitment among tribal societies : an architectural energetic analysis of Serpent Mound, Ohio / Jamie L. Davis, Jarrod Burks, and Elliot M. Abrams -- The energetics of earthen landscape modification : an assessment of an emerging Mississippian polity / Cameron H. Lacquement -- Dual labor organization models for the construction of monumental architecture in a corporate society / Anthony James DeLuca -- Peopling monuments : virtual energetics and labor impact analysis of monumental construction at Xunantunich, Belize / Leah McCurdy -- A construction management approach to building the monumental adobe ciudadelas at Chan Chan, Peru / Richard L. Smailes -- Towards a multiscalar comparative approach to power relations : political dimensions of urban construction at Teotihuacan and Copan / Tatsuya Murakami -- The future of architectural energetics in 2D and 3D / Leah McCurdy and Elliot M. Abrams.