An Archaeology of Social Transformations

Exploring how people in the past actively navigated, survived, and even flourished after societal change or collapse

In archaeology, the “collapse” of a community or civilization is often framed as the society’s failure to survive and its inevitable disappearance. This volume challenges that assumption by examining how past communities responded creatively to disruption, showing that collapse rarely marks a definitive end. Instead, contributors highlight the ways societies adapted, transformed, and persisted in the face of upheaval.

Through global case studies—including post–potato famine Ireland, Peru after the fall of Chavín, the emergence of Adena and Hopewell societies in the Ohio River Valley, and the Zhou conquest of the Shang dynasty in China—contributors reveal how traditions endured or even transformed alongside new cultural practices. Drawing on bioarchaeology, material culture, historical sources, and oral traditions, these chapters demonstrate how communities actively navigated life after major social disruptions and transformations through changes in ritual, foodways, trade, and social organization. An Archaeology of Social Transformations moves beyond collapse to present how people created meaningful ways to continue on.