ABSTRACT
If we want to explain processes of evolution and devolution, it is a necessary condition that we are able to specify the properties of the social systems involved, and the economic conditions of reproduction. In archaeology this meets with the difficulty of defining relevant indicators and parameters from the data. This is to a certain extent a purely methodological problem, but it also involves basic questions concerning the representativity of archaeological remains (Kristiansen 1974b and 1978). This chapter is a preliminary attempt to describe in quantitative terms the dynamics of economic processes in tribal societies, exemplified by Bronze Age Denmark.2 The investigation includes both Early and Late Bronze Age (Montelius periods 2-5), which together cover about eight hundred years, from about 1450 BC to 600 BC. The periods seem to be equally long, about 200 years, both according to traditional dating methods and according to carbon-14.
