House societies vs. kinship-based societies:: An archaeological case from Iron Age Europe

The idea that houses and territories can be alternative systems for structuring society is undermining the traditional belief that lineages, clans and other systems based on kinship ties were the only conceivable principle of social organization in traditional communities. The concept of societe a maison (house society) developed by Levi-Strauss is proving to be a useful tool in anthropology. However, only a few archaeological examples have been provided to date. Following Levi-Strauss' definition and drawing on different ethnographic cases of societies based on house and territory rather than kinship, an archaeological example from the Iberian Iron Age is explored. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.