(P1) Jenne-Jeno Discussion by Noelle Thompson

noellethompson1 — 2025-02-27 12:57:41 UTC

Slides

noellethompson1 — 2025-02-27 13:00:50 UTC

SLIDE 1:

Note that the map shows you where ancient empires existed, in the context of a modern day political map.

Facts about Jenne:

Archaeologists found 69 tells (artificial mounds)
Population estimated between 15,000 and 27,000 for the main habitation site (c. 900 CE) with approximately 42,000 for the entire urban area
Sites were found for the production of ceramics, iron smelting, grain (sorghum, rice, and millet) as was evidence of animal husbandry and fishing, and ritual sites
Researchers did not find evidence of temples, city walls, or palaces. No signs of a bureaucracy or monarch (ruler such as a king or chief), and no writing

noellethompson1 — 2025-02-27 13:01:36 UTC

SLIDE 2: Traditional Elements of a City

Specialization of labor and social hierarchy including a ruling class
Single, centralized authority
Payment of taxes either to a religious leader or ruler such as a king
Monumental architecture such as temples or palaces

What element(s) of Jenne-Jeno fit with this traditional definition?

noellethompson1 — 2025-02-27 13:03:57 UTC

SLIDE 3: What kind of geographical feature was their society located near?

noellethompson1 — 2025-02-27 13:05:30 UTC

Two archaeologists, Susan and Roderick McIntosh, excavated at the Jenne-Jeno site in the later decades of the twentieth century. Their interpretations of the evidence they found suggest that each urban area functioned as a small micro-city with family ties being the dominant form of communal connections. The families appear to have functioned as guilds (organizations that revolve around the production of goods). The elders of the family were the authority figures, along with those considered to be master craftspeople in their family group. The rituals performed suggest that these families also venerated their ancestors, with shrines at each settlement dedicated to a particular group of ancestors. For important decisions that revolved around the urban structure, it seems that the leaders (elders and master craftspeople) from each settlement met to participate in the decision-making process and negotiate a solution. This type of organization is referred to as a heterarchy (organizational model that is not hierarchical)

noellethompson1 — 2025-02-27 13:06:50 UTC

How is the Jenne-Jeno society different from most societies you have learned about?