This book, a comparative study of specialised production in prehistoric societies, examines approaches to specialization and exchange.

1. Specialisation, exchange, and complex societies: an introduction Elizabeth M. Brumfiel and Timothy K. Earle; 2. Salt, chert, and shell: Mississippian exchange and economy Jon Muller; 3. Unequal development in Copper Age Iberia Antonio Gilman; 4. From stone to bronze: the evolution of social complexity in Northern Europe, 2300-1200 BC Kristian Kristiansen; 5. Power and moral order in precolonial West-Central Africa Michael Rowlands; 6. Specialisation and the production of wealth: Hawaiian chiefdoms and the Inka empire Timothy K. Earle; 7. Economic change in the lowland Maya Late Classic period Prudence M. Rice; 8. The role of the be in the formation of the Yamato State Gina L. Barnes; 9. Elite and utilitarian crafts in the Aztec state Elizabeth M. Brumfiel; 10. Forms of finance and forms of production: the evolution of specialised livestock production in the ancient Near East Kathleen F. Galvin.