Given the long history of research within the Aegean, the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) of the Cyclades is surprisingly poorly understood. This region is often considered within the context of other ‘worlds’, particularly in the quest to understand ‘Minoanisation’. Prominent Middle Cycladic sites such as Ayia Irini (Kea), Phylakopi (Melos) and Akrotiri (Thera) have played a dominant role towards informing the perceived Cycladic ‘response’ to growing Minoan influence within the Aegean sphere, often at the expense of considering the interactions between these important settlements. However, the recent 2000-2001 pillar pit excavations at Akrotiri have allowed a whole new phasing for the MBA ceramic deposits and offer great potential for characterising these neglected interactions. The ceramic material studied here, from Phases B and C of the MBA assemblage at Akrotiri, corresponds to the introduction of imported and ‘Minoanised’ material traits, both compositional and technological, to the local ceramic repertoire. This material is contextualised within previous research in the Cyclades, including Phylakopi, Ayia Irini and Mikre Vigla. Scale is considered an important theme and provides a key structure throughout this thesis. Three scales were defined for considering all aspects of the ceramic assemblage at Akrotiri: a) the potters at Akrotiri, the technological choices they make, the social practices they participate in and perpetuate and the character of the local ceramic production sequence (the micro-scale of individuals); b) the character and significance of the Akrotiri ceramic assemblage within the Cyclades (the meso-scale of group interaction); c) the role that Akrotiri played as a node within larger social and exchange networks throughout the Aegean (the macro-scale of community interactions). From a theoretical standpoint, four explanatory frameworks are employed to tackle and integrate these various scales: the chaîne opératoire, dynamic systems framework, network theory and communities of practice. In combination, these frameworks have the potential to bridge the structure-agency divide, by acknowledging the fundamentally social nature of artefact production and consumption, and to integrate recent considerations of human and non-human agency within dynamic processes. Ultimately, by considering the socially constituted processes that drive the learning and practice of a craft or technique, and how these processes contribute to and perpetuate communities of practice, archaeologists can begin to meaningfully characterise the contact between different groups of people in the past. Therefore, this technological study of the late Middle Cycladic ceramic assemblage of Akrotiri, integrates macroscopic, petrographic and QEMSCAN analyses to characterise and explore the interactions within and between the many communities of practice operating within the late MBA Cyclades. In addition, this methodology allows a better understanding of the choices the communities in the Cyclades were making in the lead up to ‘Minoanisation’ so we can approach these material phenomena from a more localised, site-based perspective rather than a traditional Creto-centric viewpoint.

This dissertation examines Moche (A.D. 300-900) sociopolitical organization in northern Peru at the previously unexplored site of Licapa II, a mid-sized ceremonial center in the Chicama Valley. Moche’s distinct archaeological signatures, chiefly, ceramics and architecture, have long been seen as emblematic of an ethnic and political reality and defined as evidence for the first South American state although recent scholarship has begun to view Moche as a more complex mosaic of interacting settlements across a landscape. My research at Licapa II is the first study of a site of its size and kind, thus constituting a novel contribution to the paradigm shift in Moche research. My excavations, surface collections, and geophysical surveys contributed to understanding the nature of the site and the activities performed there. Licapa II consists of two pyramids (huacas), a canal, and other buildings. I show that the two major structures, Huaca A and Huaca B, are characterized by different material culture, are different in form, and date to different time periods. Huaca A has local ceramics and was mainly used before A.D. 600. Huaca B has Moche IV and V style ceramics and was in use after A.D. 600. Based on my evaluation of radiocarbon dates, the changes in buildings and ceramics seen at Licapa II around A.D. 600 also occurred throughout the Moche world and included the adoption of Moche IV ceramics and soon after, in some places, Moche V. I also show that the Moche V style likely originated in the northern Chicama Valley and spread from there circa A.D. 650. I also argue that political organization in Moche times may have been similar to colonial era organization, based on nested moieties organized around the irrigation system. Overall, in this dissertation I demonstrate that Licapa II was an independent center intimately connected to a dynamic landscape of interconnected nodes in an ever- changing and complex network of sites. Simplistic models based on the concept of large Moche states thus should be discarded. / Anthropology

abstract: Unlike traditional frontier studies that treat the frontier as monolithic and focus on core-periphery interactions involving colonialism and acculturation, this dissertation seeks to characterize the internal social dynamics of frontier regions using the collective social identification framework. Concentrating on the intraregional and intrasite scales makes it possible to directly evaluate the bottom-up processes involved in the formation of collective social identities within frontier zones (i.e., sociopolitical development divorced from core-centric actions). Derived from social science research aimed at understanding the development of modern nation-states and social movements, the theoretical framework implemented in this research centers on the idea that sustained collective action depends on the degree to which groups of individuals share networks of social interaction (i.e., relational identification) and recognize membership in the same social categories (i.e. categorical identification). Applying this model to the site of La Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico, provides a methodology for assessing the potential for collective action through time and across spatial scales based on the degree of categorical commonality or the strength of relational connections among the site’s inhabitants. Dating to the Epiclassic period (600-900 CE), La Quemada was founded during the cultural florescence of the northern frontier of Mesoamerica, but the site was abandoned ca. 800-900 CE while other polities persisted. Therefore, it is hypothesized that a change in how the occupants of La Quemada identified with one another decreased the potential for collective action over time and contributed to site abandonment. Material proxies in the form of ceramic-style categories (i.e., shared styles expressing categorical affiliation) and fabric classes (i.e., shared pastes indicative of relational networks) are used to assess the temporal and spatial consistency of social identification at multiple socio-spatial scales within the site of La Quemada. The results of this research, however, find that despite fluctuations in the expression of categorical identification among La Quemada residents it was the strength of their relational ties that gave them the capacity to recover. Furthermore, the capacity for collective action was high preceding site abandonment, suggesting that a disruption in the social fabric of La Quemada did not contribute to its decline and abandonment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2018

Les régions de la moyenne et haute Tyrrhénienne, la Ligurie et la Provence ont connu pendant le VIème millénaire BCE d’intenses activités maritimes et d’échange, dans le contexte de la néolithisation de la Méditerranée occidentale et intimement liées à l'exploitation et à la circulation des matières premières telles que l'obsidienne, le silex et les roches vertes; dans ce contexte, la définition de la circulation céramique constitue évidement un point central pour la compréhension des rapports économiques et culturels entre les différents groupes néolithiques.Afin de contribuer à la recherche sur le complexe culturel du Néolithique ancien de la zone considérée, nous avons abordé les échanges et les interactions possibles entre les différents groupes grâce à la caractérisation de la matière première des productions céramiques, leur origine et leur diffusion. Notre méthodologie est fondée sur l'analyse pétrographique (microscope stéréoscopique et/ou microscope optique) des matériaux céramiques de certains des principaux sites du techno-complexe Impressa-Cardial afin de déterminer les potentielles zones d'origine des matières premières et les choix techniques de production, par la confrontation des données de géo-ressources et des céramiques archéologiques.Sur la base des résultats d’analyses obtenus, nous avons essayé de définir les productions céramiques et leur circulation entre la moyenne-haute Tyrrhénienne, la Ligurie et la Provence, pour les différentes étapes chrono-culturelles du Néolithique ancien. / Intense seafaring and cultural/commercial exchanges took place in the region among the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian sea, Liguria and Provence during the VI millennium BCE; these contributed to the neolithisation of the western Mediterranean and were intimately linked to the exploitation and circulation of raw materials, such as obsidian, chert and greenstone. Within this framework, the assessment of ceramic circulation paths is obviously central to understand the economic and cultural relations between different Neolithic groups.Exchanges and potential interactions between different groups were assessed by characterising raw materials used in pottery production, as well as their provenance and diffusion, in order to contribute to research on the early Neolithic in the above mentioned areas.The methodology was aimed at sourcing raw materials and defining technical choices in pottery production by petrographic analyses (stereo- and / or optical microscope) of ceramic samples from some key sites of the Impressa-Cardiale Ware techno-complex, and on their comparison with geo-resources and archaeological pottery data.Pottery production and circulation among the Tyrrhenian, Liguria and Provence areas, in distinct chrono-cultural stages of Early Neolithic, was defined upon the results of these analyses.

Pottery, as an artifact, is often used as evidence of exchange patterns among groups during prehistory. This research incorporates paradigmatic classification and petrography to answer questions related to provenience, production mode, and exchange patterns of handmade prehistoric pottery from Gajtan, Zagorë, Kodër Boks, Tumuli 088 and 099 in Shkodër, in Northern Albania. Pottery samples analyzed in this study were collected from test excavations by the Shkodra Archaeological Project (PASH). The results yielded evidence that the area has sufficient local clay sources and other easily accessible natural resources to produce pottery in a domestic mode. Gajtan and Zagorë appeared as two distinct entities, but the former settlement seems to have played a dominant role as a production and distribution center within the region. Results from this study indicate that pots appear to have played an important socio-economic role in northern Albania, across time and space.

Η παρούσα διατριβή είναι μία αρχαιομετρική μελέτη η οποία εστιάζεται στα ρωμαϊκά, ελληνιστικά και αρχαϊκά κεραμικά της Βορειοδυτικής Πελοποννήσου. Πετρογραφική, ορυκτολογική και γεωχημική έρευνα πραγματοποιήθηκε σε κεραμικά όστρακα ρωμαϊκών λυχναριών και ελληνιστικών και αρχαϊκών αγγείων διαφόρων τύπων (π.χ. κοτύλη, κάνθαρος, εξάλειπτρο, κιονωτός κρατήρας, μαγειρικό σκεύος). Τα ρωμαϊκά λυχνάρια (τέλη του 1ου μ.Χ.- έως το τέλος του 3ου-αρχές 4ου αι. μ.Χ..) προέρχονται από τρεις ανασκαφές που πραγματοποιήθηκαν στην πόλη των Πατρών. Οι δύο από αυτές έφεραν στο φως τα εργαστήρια παραγωγής των λύχνων (Εργαστήριο Α: ερυθροβαφή λυχνάρια, και Εργαστήριο Β: άβαφα λυχνάρια) ενώ η τρίτη αφορά ένα Λυχνομαντείο (αποθέτης λυχναριών). Πριν την εύρεση των Εργαστηρίων Α και Β τα λυχνάρια που βρίσκονταν σε ανασκαφές της Πάτρας (και της ευρύτερης περιοχής της Αχαΐας) θεωρούνταν τα μεν ερυθροβαφή εισηγμένα από την Ιταλία τα δε άβαφα, λόγω του χρώματος του πηλού τους, εισηγμένα από την Κόρινθο. Τα αρχαϊκά και ελληνιστικά κεραμικά όστρακα προέρχονται από αποθέτη της ανασκαφής της Κάτω Αχαΐας, η οποία έφερε στο φως τον ελληνιστικό οικισμό της Αρχαίας Δύμης (3ος-2ος αι. π.Χ.). Η τυπολογία των αρχαϊκών οστράκων (τέλη 7ου αρχές 6ου αι. π.Χ.) ομοιάζει με την αντίστοιχη των κορινθιακών αρχαϊκών αγγείων. Προσδιορίζοντας τα πετρογραφικά, ορυκτολογικά και γεωχημικά χαρακτηριστικά των κεραμικών δειγμάτων καθορίστηκε η πηγή προέλευσης της πρώτης ύλης τους και κατ´ επέκταση ο τόπος παραγωγής τους, ενώ δημιουργήθηκαν ομάδες αναφοράς που χαρακτηρίζουν την αρχαϊκή, ελληνιστική και ρωμαϊκή κεραμική λεπτοκρυσταλλικών αγγείων σε περιοχές της ΒΔ Πελοποννήσου. Η γεωλογική πηγή προέλευσης της ασβεστούχου αργιλικής πρώτης ύλης για την παραγωγή των κεραμικών και των τριών ιστορικών περιόδων είναι κοινή και προέρχεται από τα τοπικά τεφρά έως πρασινότεφρα Πλειο-Πλειστοκαινικά λιμναία και λιμνοθαλάσσια αργιλικά ιζήματα της ΒΔ Πελοποννήσου. Σύγκριση των πετρογραφικών, ορυκτολογικών, ορυκτοχημικών και γεωχημικών αναλύσεων δειγμάτων τοπικής αργίλου από τις Πλειο-Πλειστοκαινικές αποθέσεις που συλλέχθηκαν από την ευρύτερη περιοχή των ανασκαφών και αρχαίων κεραμικών έδειξε πλήρη αντιστοιχία. Το πιο ισχυρό στοιχείο όμως για την εξαγωγή του συμπεράσματος, ότι οι αρχαίοι κεραμείς χρησιμοποίησαν τα αργιλικά ιζήματα της ευρύτερης περιοχής τους ως πρώτη ύλη των κεραμικών, είναι η παρόμοια διακύμανση των κανονικοποιημένων τιμών των ιχνοστοιχείων και των σπάνιων γαιών, το ίδιο σχήμα κατανομής του Eu, και οι παρόμοιοι λόγοι Th/Co, Th/Sc, La/Co, La/Sc. Η πιθανή θερμοκρασία όπτησης που προέκυψε από την οπτική ενεργότητα της μικρομάζας κατά την πετρογραφική παρατήρηση και τον προσδιορισμό των ορυκτών όπτησης (φασαΐτης, γκελενίτης, ανορθίτης, σανίδινο) με την περιθλασιμετρία ακτίνων Χ, έδειξε πως η θερμοκρασία όπτησης κυμάνθηκε από Τ<700°C έως Τ≥1000°C για τα ρωμαϊκά λυχνάρια και για τα αρχαϊκά και ελληνιστικά όστρακα και με οξειδωτική ατμόσφαιρα να επικρατεί ως επί το πλείστον εντός του κλιβάνου. Όμως, οι αρχαίοι κεραμείς των Αρχαϊκών και Ελληνιστικών χρόνων φαίνεται πως έδιναν μεγαλύτερη προσοχή στην εφαρμογή των συνθηκών όπτησης (θερμοκρασία, ατμόσφαιρα, χρόνος όπτησης) από τους κεραμείς των Ρωμαϊκών χρόνων. Η πρώτη ύλη δεν φαίνεται να έχει υποστεί κάποια μορφή επεξεργασίας πριν από το ζύμωμα από τους κεραμείς κατά την παραγωγή των λύχνων, ενώ για την παραγωγή των αρχαϊκών και ελληνιστικών αγγείων η ομοιομορφία της μικρομάζας τους και οι χαμηλότερες περιεκτικότητες K2O, Na2O, Cs, Rb, CaO, που τα διαχωρίζει από τα ρωμαϊκά λυχνάρια, είναι ενδείξεις ότι η πρώτη ύλη υπέστη μία μικρή επεξεργασία καθίζησης για την απομάκρυνση των πιο αδροκρυσταλλικών κλαστικών κόκκων. Για την ‘ταυτοποίηση’ της πρώτης ύλης και των συνθηκών όπτησης των αρχαίων κεραμικών, κατασκευάστηκαν στο εργαστήριο κεραμικά δοκίμια χρησιμοποιώντας δείγματα τοπικής αργίλου, τα οποία ψήθηκαν σε τρεις διαφορετικές θερμοκρασίες 850°, 950° και 1050°C με αργό ρυθμό όπτησης. Η μακροσκοπική, πετρογραφική, ορυκτολογική και ορυκτοχημική ανάλυση των κεραμικών δοκιμίων έδωσε αποτελέσματα παρόμοια έως ταυτόσημα με τα αντίστοιχα αποτελέσματα των αρχαίων κεραμικών. Οι ομάδες αναφοράς με τα αρχαιομετρικά χαρακτηριστικά των ρωμαϊκών, ελληνιστικών και αρχαϊκών κεραμικών από ανασκαφές της ΒΔ Πελοποννήσου και ο προσδιορισμός της τοπικής προέλευσης της πρώτης ύλης τους σκοπό έχουν να συνεισφέρουν σε μελλοντικές συγκρίσεις : 1. Των πατρινών λυχναριών με λυχνάρια που έχουν παραχθεί από εργαστήρια της Κορίνθου και των Αθηνών ώστε να μπορέσει να γίνει ο διαχωρισμός της πρώτης ύλης τους και της τεχνολογίας τους. 2. Τα Εργαστήρια Α και Β έκαναν εξαγωγές λυχναριών. Η σύγκριση των ομάδων αναφοράς των πατρινών λυχναριών με λυχνάρια από ανασκαφές άλλων περιοχών θα προσδιορίσει εάν τα λυχνάρια που συλλέχθηκαν στις συγκεκριμένες περιοχές έχουν πατρινή προέλευση παραγωγής. 3. Των αρχαϊκών και ελληνιστικών λεπτοκρυσταλλικών αγγείων που έχουν παραχθεί από εργαστήρια του νομού Αχαΐας με αντίστοιχα κεραμικά αγγεία (ίδιας τυπολογίας και χρονολογίας) από ανασκαφές άλλων περιοχών για να προκύψουν πιθανές εμπορικές και οικονομικές συναλλαγές. / Petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical research was carried out on Roman ceramic lamps and Hellenistic and Archaic wares derived from excavations in northwestern Peloponnese. The studied sherds of Roman lamps (the late 1st A.D. - until the end of the 3rd - early 4th c. AD.) were collected from three excavations in the city of Patras, two pottery Workshops (A:produced red-painted lamps and B:produced unpainted lamps) and one Lychnomanteion. Until the excavations brought to light the existence of the two lamp Workshops (A and B), it was assumed that the red-painted lamps were imported from Italy and the unpainted lamps were imported from Corinth so as they were called “imported” and “Corinthian” lamps respectively. A deposit of Archaic ceramic sherds, dating from the late 7th - early 6th c. BC and Hellenistic sherds have been unearthed in the excavation of an Hellenistic settlement of Ancient Dyme (3th - 2nd c. BC) in the city of Kato Achaia. These sherds represent individual wares such as: skyphos, pinakio and krateras, and they display typological influence by Corinthian wares. The study of the petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of ceramic samples allowed us to determine the provenance of the raw materials used by ancient potters for their productions. Also a database is created based on these archaeometric characteristics of ancient fine wares in northwestern Peloponnese. The provenance of raw materials for the production of the Roman lamps and the Archaic and Hellenistic sherds is similar and derived from the local Plio-Pleistocene lagoon and lacustrine sediments of northwestern Peloponnese. Clay samples were collected from the Plio-Pleistocene deposits around the excavations and they were subjected to petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses. The comparison of the results of their analyses with those of ancient ceramics indicated complete similarity. A comparison of the rare earth element and trace elements variation diagrams (spidergrams) between ancient ceramics and clay samples shows that the geochemical patterns of the ancient ceramics are very similar and fit well to the geochemical patterns of the local clay samples. These similarities strongly confirm the above suggestion that the ancient ceramics were produced from clay-rich sedimentary deposits of NW Peloponnese. The firing-temperature which was estimated based on the optical activity of micromass and the new mineral phases crystallized during firing (fassaite, gehlenite, anorthite, sanidine) indicated that for Roman lamps and Archaic and Hellenistic wares, the firing temperature ranged from Τ<700°C to Τ≥1000°C with a prevailing oxidizing atmosphere in the kilns. The potters in Archaic and Hellenistic times paid greater attention to the application of the firing conditions such as temperature, atmosphere and firing time than potters in Roman period. For Roman lamps their raw material does not seem to have been subjected to any initial processes (e.x. levigation, settling, sieving), in contrast the raw materials of the Archaic and Hellenistic sherds could have been subjected to a small refinement. Using local clay material, ceramic bricks produced in the laboratory in order to facilitate through their comparison the ‘identification’ of raw materials and firing conditions of ancient ceramics. The macroscopic, petrographic, mineralogical results of ceramic bricks are similar or identical to those of ancient ceramics. The archaeometric study of Roman ceramic lamps and Hellenistic and Archaic wares from excavations in NW Peloponnese aims to contribute to future comparison such as : 1. Between lamps produced in Patraian workshops with lamps produced in Corinthian, Athenian and Italian workshops in order to determine the provenance of their raw materials and technology. 2. Workshop A and B exported lamps. So the comparison of the archaeometric data of their lamps with the archaeometric data of lamps which have been found or will be found in excavations out of Achaia county, will help to decipher if the latter lamps were produced in Workshops A or B. 3. The Archaic and Hellenistic fine sherds studied here were produced in workshops established in the county of Achaia. The comparison of their archaeometric data with that data of fine wares (same typology and chronology) collected in excavations of other regions may give information about the commercial and financial dealings of the inhabitants of the Achaia county (Ancient Dyme).

No description available.