Commercial Landscapes of Long-distance Contacts in Western Asia, C. 3200 – 1600 BC: Perspectives from Material Culture

Michele Massa1,Alessio Palmisano

doi:10.5334/joad.45

Michele Massa1, Alessio Palmisano

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5334/joad.45

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Abstract

To our knowledge, the dataset described in this paper represents the largest existing repository of archaeological material culture data for Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia, and northern Levant during the Early and Middle Bronze Age (ca. 3,200 – 1,600 BC). Here we present four types of objects (lapis lazuli and ivory artefacts, Syrian bottles, and balance pan weights) that can be analysed as tracers of long-distance contacts for assessing what exchange patterns and socio-economic dynamics (e.g. gifts, trade, marriage alliances, tribute, market profit, reciprocity, etc.) are responsible for the allocation and distribution of these materials in the Near East. Funding statement: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Highlights

(1) Overview Context These datasets were originally collected as part of the doctoral projects of the authors, with the aim of identifying and characterising long-distance exchange networks in South-Western Asia by looking at the spatial distribution of finished products, raw materials and technologies in the Early [1] and Middle Bronze Age [2, 3]
South-Western Asia’s long history of extensive archaeological excavations makes this region an unusually privileged case study for assessing patterns of longdistance exchange and contacts across space and time. Inter-regional interaction in the ancient Near East has provided a stage for rival theoretical frameworks and academic narratives such as hierarchical [5, 6] vs nonhierarchical models [7, 8]
The elite practices of display and consumption of exotica stimulated the acquirement of high-status items in the form of specialised manufacture and raw materials from neighbouring or distant regions and political entities playing as trade partners [15]

Summary

Introduction

(1) Overview Context These datasets were originally collected as part of the doctoral projects of the authors, with the aim of identifying and characterising long-distance exchange networks in South-Western Asia by looking at the spatial distribution of finished products, raw materials and technologies in the Early [1] and Middle Bronze Age [2, 3]. EBA_ivory – a set of three files respectively providing a vector point (in .shp and associated files) and a spreadsheet (.csv) representing all the archaeological sites yielding ivory artefacts during the Early Bronze Age, and a field description for the attributes of the sites (.txt).

Results

Conclusion