Interpreting Ancient Social Organization: Conceptual Metaphors and Image Schemas

Abstract

This article outlines an approach that archaeologists can use to predict a widespread family of concepts about social organization in past societies. Such concepts are all ultimately conceptual metaphors: people map their experiences in other domains onto their society, to reason about social order. The Sumerians used the experience of sheepherding to understand their kings as shepherds and people as flocks; the Maya understood people as corn and their rulers as rain gods. These concepts share an image schema derived ultimately from the experience of applying force to physical objects. This image schema is universal. Archaeologists can use it to predict parallel concepts of social organization in other societies, using commonly-recovered material remains. The theory of conceptual metaphor also suggests there is a minimum size of communities in which such concepts might develop.