bs2Jun 11, 2024
> ..research at Kirikongo has revealed a dynamic socio-political sequence, with the development of #InstitutionalizedInequalities over the course of the 1st millennium CE, followed by an egalitarian revolution in the early 2nd millennium CE. The consequent social formation, despite being structurally egalitarian was actually more complex than the vertically oriented system that preceded it, and calls into question common assumptions of directionality in socio-political evolution. #StephenDueppen
Show threadbs2
> Kirikongo’s chickens are currently the earliest known in #SubSaharanAfrica, and I have argued that chickens are of greater relative importance in egalitarian political systems since they are less likely than other domestic animals to be a symbol of inequality. These results are featured in the 2014 popular science book Why Did the Chicken Cross the World: The Epic Saga of the Bird that Powers Civilization by #AndrewLawler
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/dueppen/kirikongo-archaeological-project/
Kirikongo Archaeological Project | Dr. Stephen Dueppen

Jun 11, 2024 at 1:15amWeb
Show threadbs2Jun 11, 2024
> Iron working began as a generalized practice, but became co-opted by elites in the mid 1st millennium CE, only to be removed to the exterior of the village after the early 2nd millennium CE revolution. Potting became specialized after the revolution, when it was coupled with iron-working.
#IronWorking #PottingRevolution
Show threadbs2Jun 11, 2024
> Following the revolution, Kirikongo’s residents stopped keeping cattle and began to participate in collective hunts. I have argued that this was a socially motivated change related to increasing equality, as this type of hunting practice often cross cuts individual houses and binds the community together, while cattle can be a source of individual or familial wealth.
#BurkinaFaso #Kirikongo #CattleVsChickens #CattleVsHunting #SociallyMotivatedChange
Show threadbs2Jun 11, 2024
> Kirikongo’s chickens are currently the earliest known in sub-Saharan Africa, and I have argued that chickens are of greater relative importance in egalitarian political systems since they are less likely than other domestic animals to be a symbol of inequality. These results are featured in the 2014 popular science book Why Did the Chicken Cross the World: The Epic Saga of the Bird that Powers Civilization by Andrew Lawler
#EgalitarianChickens #CattleStatus #StatusCattle #DomesticAnimals