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Robert Denemark
University of Delaware The Irish are one of the more surprising entries on our list of systems to consider, and other than Wilkinson’s own short discussions, there is little analysis offered on Ireland from a civilizational or world-system perspective. I work to provide a bit of intellectual ground-clearing on the Irish case. There is an active prestige goods network from 2500BCE that is well linked to Central Civilization by about 1500BCE. The development of a state system is far less clear, emerging perhaps in the mid-7th century. While Wilkinson estimates that the Irish enjoyed the status of a civilization from about 450 to about 1050, there is little evidence of significant urbanization, and abundant evidence that the Irish had been integrated into the Scandinavian ‘Viking’ network by the early 9th century. I then turn to the Scandinavians to begin considering whether they should be added to our list. A prestige goods network emerges in about 1500BCE, and a state system between about 500 and 700CE. The Scandinavian system was more urbanized than the Irish, with cities in the 20,000 range by the 800s. Given the far-flung nature of the Viking activities it is difficult address the questions of whether the Scandinavians could be considered a single system, and if so, when that system merged with Central Civilization. Work on those questions continues.
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