The Ancient Andean States

This is a wonderful and engaging resource: an important account of the development of states in the Pre-Hispanic Andes. It provides a broad-ranging discussion that explores the Andean examples within an inclusive theoretical framework. The book is highly successful in celebrating the diversity of ancient states in the Andes while at the same time noting the similarities between them and with other parts of the globe. - Ian Hodder, Stanford University, USA Tantalean provides a remarkably concise and wide-ranging prehistory of complex Andean societies. Arranged chronologically and developmentally, each chapter describes a well-documented prehistoric case vividly exemplified by archaeological sites from Late Archaic origins of complexity at Caral to the expansive Inca Empire. His compelling and up-to-date presentations are skillfully understood by a robust social theory. - Timothy Earle, Northwestern, USA Harnessing a selection of the great societies of the Andean region, Tantalean dives into key polities that illustrate the breadth of the long-lived pre-modern Andean states. This book will be excellent for everyone who teaches and learn Andean archaeology, as these case studies clearly and briefly lay out the major aspects of a range of Andean societies framing each society in a similar way, making it easy to compare and contrast between them. - Christine Hastorf, University of California, Berkeley, USA Ancient Andean States is an innovative evolutionary synthesis of power and politics in prehistoric Peru. Engagingly written, Tantalean explores the origins and development of statecraft in the land of the Inca. - Michael Moseley, University of Florida, USA