The Rise of Cattle Cultures in Bronze Age Anatolia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Bronze Age Anatolia is characterized by the emergence of an elite class situated at the apex of society, where they controlled enormous resources; wielded great authority; and sought, conspicuously displayed, and consumed distinctive high-status material culture. In this article, I explore the use of domesticated cattle as a material and symbolic source of power for these elites. I address the central economic role of cattle and their “secondary products” in supporting Bronze Age agricultural systems and as sources of elite wealth. I also discuss the symbolic role of cattle in gift exchange, iconography, ritual, and display for creating narratives of power in which elites are situated in an elevated place within in a hierarchical cosmos.

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