Perspectives: Situating households within broader networks

Households are embedded within social, economic, political, and ideological networks. In this chapter, we explore the different types of relationships that bind households together within and between communities. We focus on the social ties and economic interactions among households at multiple scales. The supra-household social networks in which households are embedded require economic investment that, in turn, creates opportunities for some and constraints for others. By approaching households within their broader cultural contexts, archaeologists can better understand how households contribute to, and are affected by, social change.