Redistribution in Aegean Palatial Societies. Introduction: Why Redistribution?

This collection of papers explores the role of redistribution in Minoan and Mycenaean economies. The term "redistribution" was coined to describe a particular mode of economic exchange employed in ancient economies, particularly Near Eastern temple economies, and later applied to the Aegean. Recently, the redistributive model has been revised substantially, but these revisions largely have been ignored by Aegean prehistorians. We hope that this Forum will contribute to the ongoing debate about the nature and extent of control exercised by Aegean palatial authorities and to the larger study of ancient economic exchange in archaeology and anthropology.