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All for one? The production of black burnished pottery and state formation in the early Korean polity of Baekje
Author(s) -
Blackmore H.,
Cho D.,
Lee H.W.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/arcm.12632
Subject(s) - polity , prestige , state (computer science) , pottery , production (economics) , politics , petrography , history , ancient history , economy , political science , law , geology , geochemistry , economics , computer science , philosophy , linguistics , macroeconomics , algorithm
This paper tests whether the distinctive black burnished pottery from the early Korean state of Baekje ( c .250–660 ce ) was, as is commonly assumed, under the control of a centralized authority. We employ an integrated approach, combining typological, petrographic and elemental composition data, to reconstruct the organization of production for this prestige ware. Clear heterogeneity in both clay sources and technical styles indicates a decentralized production pattern. The Baekje polity may thus have emerged as a distributed network rather than a centralized entity, with local communities choosing to engage with the political centre and not be subservient to it.