Mediterranean Society Research Articles

The Seasonality of Labour in Ceramic Production and Agriculture in the Ancient Greek Rural World

This article explores the seasonality of labour in ceramic production and its correlation with agricultural tasks, focusing on a Hellenistic kiln site in Sant’Angelo Vecchio, southern Italy, in the hinterland of Metaponto. Through a comprehensive examination of archaeological data and the outcomes of an experimental archaeology project, the study estimates the labour required for various stages of the pottery-making operational sequence. The findings reveal that small-scale rural workshops mainly produced limited quantities of items primarily for household and agrarian use. Only two or three individuals, working part-time, were needed to manage the various tasks involved, such as raw material collection, transportation, clay preparation, vessel shaping and kiln firing. The findings also demonstrate that the seasonal nature of their pottery work could be fitted within the seasonal rhythms of agricultural activities. This research highlights the interconnectedness of all productive activities in the region; sites and tasks are intricately linked, fostering a flexible and seasonal labour system in both ancient and modern Mediterranean societies.

ESHRE guideline: number of embryos to transfer during IVF/ICSI†.

ESHRE guideline: number of embryos to transfer during IVF/ICSI†.

Speleothems uncover Late Holocene environmental changes across the Nuragic period in Sardinia (Italy): A possible human influence on land use during bronze to post-Iron Age cultural shifts

During the Bronze and Iron Age, Sardinia was home of one of the most technologically advanced Mediterranean societies (the Nuragic culture). Given its key geographical location, the island was also the fulcrum of deep cultural exchanges. Toward the end of the Iron Age, Phoenicians, and especially Carthaginians and Romans, massively frequented Sardinia for different purposes. This marks an important cultural transition for the region, as the ancient Nuragic-related society terminated. At the same time, this impacted the subsistence and land use practices. Together with middle to late Holocene climate changes, the novel anthropic activities had a pivotal role in shaping the landscape around the island. However, high resolution climate and environmental records for these culturally important phases are still lacking in Sardinia. Thus, this paper explores palaeoenvironmental changes from the Bronze Age to post Iron Ages times by using carbonate speleothems from Suttaterra de Sarpis Cave (Urzulei, central east Sardinia), strategically located nearby the Or Murales Nuragic Village. U–Th ages (n = 20) indicate that five stalagmites comprehensively span the last ∼7000 years. Peculiarly, they all show an evident stratigraphic discontinuity. Age models attest that hiatuses can be at times associated with the discontinuities, spanning periods of ∼1200 to ∼200 years. Importantly, the discontinuities occurred from the Late Iron Age to the Roman period. Based on fabric observations, trace elements and δ13C- δ18O analyses, the discontinuities are primarily attributed to a progressive change of land use above the cave. We suppose that deforestation aimed to clearance for agriculture and livestock practices probably was the most impacting factor for infiltration dynamics and soil state, thus affecting the studied speleothems, although archaeological and historical data are absent for the specific study area. Instead, this is in line with the cultural transition occurring in Sardinia toward the end of the Iron Age, with novel agricultural practices imported by the overseas populations. The anthropic disturbance to the millennial-long karst equilibrium possibly overprinted the response of speleothem proxies to climate oscillations, although future higher resolution analyses are necessary to better investigate the evolution of climate during the Holocene as well as its role in the development of ancient civilizations. Indeed, this is the first speleothem-based Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction accomplished in Sardinia. Considering the paucity of natural lakes in this key location, speleothems here demonstrate their potential in exploring human-driven palaeoenvironmental changes during times of cultural transitions within the Mediterranean context.

Explaining the Homelessness Phenomenon in Familistic Mediterranean Societies: A New Analytical Framework

Explaining the Homelessness Phenomenon in Familistic Mediterranean Societies: A New Analytical Framework

Neither Eastern nor Western: Patterns of independence and interdependence in Mediterranean societies.

Social science research has highlighted "honor" as a central value driving social behavior in Mediterranean societies, which requires individuals to develop and protect a sense of their personal self-worth and their social reputation, through assertiveness, competitiveness, and retaliation in the face of threats. We predicted that members of Mediterranean societies may exhibit a distinctive combination of independent and interdependent social orientation, self-construal, and cognitive style, compared to more commonly studied East Asian and Anglo-Western cultural groups. We compared participants from eight Mediterranean societies (Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus [Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities], Lebanon, Egypt) to participants from East Asian (Korea, Japan) and Anglo-Western (the United Kingdom, the United States) societies, using six implicit social orientation indicators, an eight-dimensional self-construal scale, and four cognitive style indicators. Compared with both East Asian and Anglo-Western samples, samples from Mediterranean societies distinctively emphasized several forms of independence (relative intensity of disengaging [vs. engaging] emotions, happiness based on disengaging [vs. engaging] emotions, dispositional [vs. situational] attribution style, self-construal as different from others, self-directed, self-reliant, self-expressive, and consistent) and interdependence (closeness to in-group [vs. out-group] members, self-construal as connected and committed to close others). Our findings extend previous insights into patterns of cultural orientation beyond commonly examined East-West comparisons to an understudied world region. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A methodological proposal of the Sustainolive international research project to drive Mediterranean olive ecosystems toward sustainability

Mediterranean olive growing characterizes, identifies, and can sustain the socioeconomic viability of rural areas, not only through the production of primary products but also through the management of renewable natural resources, and the conservation of landscape and biodiversity. However, high levels of mechanization, monocultures, intensive farming techniques, and the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are threatening the environment and affecting rural communities in turn. In the last years, the agroecological discourse emerged as a transdisciplinary science merging agronomy, ecology, and socioeconomic sciences with the purpose of responding to socioeconomic and environmental concerns, responding to the globalized industrial food processing and intensive agriculture. In this context, the research project Sustainolive, guided by an international consortium of stakeholders from academia and the productive sector, has the aim of promoting sustainability in the olive oil sector through the implementation and promotion of innovative and technological solutions based on agroecological concepts. Through an innovative, transdisciplinary, and multi-actor approach, Sustainolive combines different types of knowledge (e.g., scientific, empirical, and traditional), disciplines (ranging from engineering to the humanities), and methodological approaches (e.g., Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, Social Agrarian Metabolism and multicriterial analysis tools) to provide practical solutions that address the complexity of the olive sector. The results from the application of this methodology are expected to highlight which agroecological practices are more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable and uncover how Mediterranean societies use agrarian biophysical resources.

Cultural orientation in Mediterranean societies

Cultural orientation in Mediterranean societies

The Contribution of Immigrants to Urban Economies: Exploring Citizens' Opinions in Athens, Greece

Migration processes pose important social problems and demand appropriate integration policies. With this perspective in mind, the present study investigates native residents’ opinion on the contribution of immigrants to urban economy in Athens, Greece, using a self-reported questionnaire submitted to a convenience sample of 446 native residents 18+ years old. In spite of the current economic crisis, mixed responses were recorded about the extent Greek government should allow new immigrants to come, live and work in the country. Conversely, citizens’ opinions were rather homogeneous and negative when speaking about the state benefits granted to immigrants. Respondents who believe that, in the near future, a high (and possibly increasing) number of immigrants should be allowed to live, and work in Greece, demonstrated to be fully aware of the importance of integration policies. By contrast, in line with the ‘secular’ role of families permeating the Greek society, married people were more inclined to refuse any policy of immigrants’ integration compared to single people. Future research should emphasize how institutions, national/local policies, and contextual aspects including ethnic networks, social capital, and labor market conditions, may influence immigrant integration in traditional, Mediterranean societies.

Mediterranean Society of Coloproctology joint meeting report.

Mediterranean Society of Coloproctology joint meeting report.

Cuisine in transition? Organic residue analysis of domestic containers from 9th-14th century Sicily.

From the 9th to 14th centuries AD, Sicily experienced a series of rapid and quite radical changes in political regime, but the impact of these regime changes on the lives of the people that experienced them remains largely elusive within the historical narrative. We use a multi-faceted lipid residue approach to give direct chemical evidence of the use of 248 everyday domestic ceramic containers from Islamic and post-Islamic contexts in western Sicily to aid our understanding of daily habits throughout this period of political change. A range of commodities was successfully identified, including animal fats, vegetable products, fruit products (potentially including wine) and plant resins. The study highlights the complexity of residues in early medieval Mediterranean society as, in many cases, mixtures of commodities were observed reflecting sequential cooking events and/or the complex mixtures reflective of medieval recipes. However, overall, there were no clear changes in the composition of the residues following the imposition of Norman control over the island and through subsequent periods, despite some differences between urban centres and rural sites. Thus, lending to the idea that post-Islamic populations largely flourished and benefited from the agricultural systems, resources and recipes left by their predecessors.

Social Evolution, Marginalization and Vulnerability of the Hijra Community in Bangladesh: A Historical Analysis

Hijra people live all over the world. They have a prehistoric connection to the first historical setting in which men and women were created. This article aims to provide facts about the nomenclature, identity, categorization, social status in different civilizations and religions, and the social evolution and marginalization of the hijra community. Based on secondary sources of data, this has been analyzed adopting a historical method. Social scientists claim that the hijra community is a district group that is neither man nor woman. The hijra group is recognized as a transgender or third gender since they do not undergo the typical maturity of their genitalia after birth due to an abrupt or aberrant physiological alteration in the chromosomes during fertilization and division. Hijra people have been documented in several ancient civilizations, including Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Egyptian, and Mediterranean societies throughout human history. Moreover, the concept of third gender has been explicitly and implicitly emphasized in Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Over time, the social history and customs of the hijra people on the Indian subcontinent have evolved and changed due to the influence of Mughal rule, British colonization, the Pakistan period, and post-independence Bangladesh. Specifically, there have been several historical shifts in the metrics of domicile, profession, education, status and authority of the community. In addition to improving the lives of these marginalized and neglected people, this article may make a significant contribution to gender studies, sociology and anthropology by helping to comprehend the historical background of the community.

Supplemental Material for Neither Eastern nor Western: Patterns of Independence and Interdependence in Mediterranean Societies

Supplemental Material for Neither Eastern nor Western: Patterns of Independence and Interdependence in Mediterranean Societies

"Classics" for an Age of Anxiety

"Classics" for an Age of Anxiety Hunter Gardner To start, many thanks: Thanks, Antony, for that introduction, and for a few last-minute zoom chats, plus the many reminders of how the conference used to operate in-person. I'd also like to thank my predecessor as President, David Schenker, for his work on the nominating committee as well as various ad hoc committees, but especially for answering my many emails and offering indispensable advice throughout the past 9 months. Special thanks to Davina McClain for all she has done during her second year as Secretary-Treasurer, and especially for the planning and work of making our first in-person (but also unofficially hybrid) conference in three years a reality; to her assistant Drew Alvarez; to all the tech people working before and during the conference, Jennifer Ranck in particular; and to the folks at Wake Forest: Julie and Bryan, plus Mary Pendergraft, whose retirement we celebrated few hours ago. Thanks to the welcoming committee comprised of classics faculty from all over the triangle area: Jonathan Zarecki, Rebecca Muich, Jessie Craft and Danetta Genung. I'd also like to thank you, the members of CAMWS, who make this organization work: to committee chairs and members, to vice presidents, to all of you who presented papers and presided over sessions, and especially to the CAMWS Executive Committee, who have been so helpful in providing advice and helping steer CAMWS in a positive direction at those moments when I felt like I was in over my head. In a year when finding time for service outside the parameters of our home institutions has been particularly challenging, I've been relieved and heartened by your willingness to step in and serve. All of this makes me encouraged—despite the challenges faced by our discipline that I'm going to address. We've got the right human elements to make "Classics" a more accessible and stronger field of inquiry, and to inspire in others the same sense of wonder and curiosity about the ancient world that brought us here in the first place. To begin, I should perhaps clarify the title of my address and the quotation marks around "Classics." As some of you may have suspected, it's my way of deflecting (though I hope not entirely deferring) the fraught conversation of just what we who study ancient Mediterranean societies should call ourselves: Classics [End Page 222] as a moniker smacks of elitism, but its problematic nature also underscores the very topic I'm addressing, that is, anxiety, emerging in part from our identity as Classicists, felt not only on an individual level, but as a phenomenon rippling throughout classrooms, as well as our academic institutions, our political bodies and around the globe. Our identity crisis as a discipline has only become more acute if we look to the figures from popular culture that reflect on what it means to be a "Classicist": for instance, Jane Campion's Oscar-nominated Power of the Dog, in which Benedict Cumberbatch's figure of toxic masculinity is one honed by years as a Yale Phi Beta Kapa Classics major, who explicitly invokes Romulus and Remus as models for the familial lineage he shares with his brother. Ayelet Lushkov's article, originally published in the LA Review of Books and recirculated in the blog Pasts Imperfect points to recent novels, Alex Michaelides' The Maidens (2021) and Mark Prins' The Latinist (2022) as reinforcing the more sinister connotations of "Classics" in popular culture. But as Phoebe Wynne's Madame (2021) also demonstrates (a novel near and dear to our President-elect, Sophie Mills), there is a liberatory power in the classics—still appreciated and recognized among the world beyond academia. I would also add that, even in the first two novels, it is not so much Classics—or even "canonical" Classical authors—who come off badly, as much as those who study them. The Latinist, despite the questionable motives of its antagonist and protagonist, figures as a veritable love-letter to the power of ancient verse, Ovid's Metamorphoses in particular. I should also say that tonight I will not be discussing W. H. Auden's well-known...

The dominant and defeated theory for sociology of acculturation in clothing, food, color by Ibn Khaldun, judge of Mamlukids, dialogue or clash

By studying extensive and rapid changes in acculturation between Jew, Islamic,Christian societies of western and eastern of Mediterranean,Ibn Khaldun succeeded to presenting a secular model for justify behavior of states, individuals and societies in tight conflict of power circulation in open Mediterranean societies, which has existed for several centuries since his time. It is important for human sciences and it is based on the natural necessity of society. Ibn Khaldoun's theory has its roots in Qur'an that dominant people are not satisfied with defeated people unless they see them in color of their culture and nations.The theory of dominant and defeated has deep and wider roots in Islamic world, and before Ibn Khaldun and his descendants, it reaches use of word "dominance" in Farabi's social theory, but Ibn Khaldun was in course of a concrete event that was taking place in two section of Islamic worlds and this situation challenged Mamlukids of Egypt and Bani Ahmar kingdom of Andalusia. Based on these daily observations, he presented theory of dominant and defeated which shaped and related upon power and natural necessary spread of culture, which is called social necessity in modern science of sociology.Just as dying Islamic states had succumbed to autograph of their fall, the people of societies were also subject to dominant power in their outward behavior of covering, food, smells and appearances. Contemporary studies of Ibn Khaldun and after him about alienation of women and following the dominant culture in food and clothing, entertainment, doing all the things similar to actions of dominant people that showed in medieval texts, which include specialized terms in field of theory of dominant and subjugated. It is like "the word “Tahrosh" and its direct effect on instability of West of Islamic societies, which was created in same period and some time before Ibn Khaldun. The continuous stability and instability of Cairo from the Fatimids to the Mamlukids period is a direct process of invasion in open Mediterranean societies and continuation of Mongols battles and Crusaders of in Levant (Shamat) that is developing in east from eastern Mediterranean to Indian Ocean.It seems that theories that believe in necessity of civilization and culture and end of history are victorious and there is no place for any kind of cultural fusion. In modern sociology, this phenomenon is referred to as " َ Acculturation”. Is there some kind of convergence between contemporary theories about relationship between civilizations &cultures and Ibn Khaldun's theory that was presented earlier?

Caporalato capitalism. Labour brokerage and agrarian change in a Mediterranean society

ABSTRACT This article analyses a contemporary form of illegal labour mediation, known in Italian as caporalato, which persists in industrialized agricultural production in southern Italy despite a decade of unrelenting legal and policy reforms. Focusing on the regions of Puglia and Basilicata during the so-called Mediterranean ‘refugee crisis’ (2011-2018), this article addresses the question of how practices of caporalato remain a central infrastructure of globalized agri-food production, while segregating migrant workers in rural society. Adopting an infrastructural lens, we propose two main arguments. First, we highlight the need to shift analytical concerns from ‘criminal’ labour gangmasters and their protection business to a broader analysis of their role in the reproduction of precarious migrant labour. Second, we highlight how caporalato infrastructures contribute to adversely incorporating migrant ‘seasonal’ workers into local agricultural labour markets in a context of increasingly globalized retail agriculture and changing state policies.

The perception of public space of the elderly after social isolation and its effect on health

Ongoing life in public spaces where people from all ages and segments of society interact, is a lifestyle especially in Mediterranean societies. The question of how and in which direction the importance of public spaces in our lives will change after the Covid 19 pandemic has formed the starting point of this study. With this study, it was aimed to analyze the location of public spaces especially in the lives of users over 65 years of age and to predict how and in what direction this place will change. In this context, a survey was conducted with 68 people over 65 years of age between when the curfew to this user group was approved. As a result of the study, it was observed that the prevention of the use of public spaces, which constitute a large place in their lives, highlighted their need for these spaces. And those who participated in the questionnaire were evaluated these spaces as the most important places where they would never regret after the pandemic. The study also discussed the measures to be taken and new approaches in urban areas despite the risk of a pandemic.

Eenheid en gelykheid uitgedruk deur die metafoor van die wapenrusting in Efesiers 6:10-18

The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are gifts to the whole church. Every believer in Jesus Christ is part of the body of Christ, the temple of God, the household of the Father and the army of the Spirit. One of the main themes of the letter to the Ephesians is unification in Christ between Jews and Gentiles. The author concludes his letter in Ephesians 6:10 with the metaphor of the armour of God: ‘In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His might.’ (AMP). Our union with Christ, which should be reflected in our union with other believers, empower us to be strong in our fight against evil in this world. Unification cannot be complete if the value of each member is not acknowledged. Though roles may differ, the value of each member is measured by the price that Christ paid on the cross for our redemption. Equality unite; inequality divide. Equality for all members of Christ’s church is essential in the fight against evil powers like domination and inequality.The writer of Ephesians uses metaphors to convey the message of unification and equality, especially between Jews and Gentiles, in the newly formed first century church. Unfortunately the position of slaves, woman and children in the church are still subject to cultural norms and values of the time.The message of this letter should be filtered through the lens of patriarchy in the first century Mediterranean world. According to Osiek the whole Mediterranean society was patriarchal (2006:832). The metaphor of the Roman soldier’s armour is a male image used to describe a spiritual war in which all believers are involved. The equality in today’s society should not be limited by cultural first century boundaries, in Ephesians the fight against evil should be an example of the unification and equality of gender, ethnicity, social status and age groups.ContributionThe metaphor of the armour of God describe the spiritual fight against evil powers and although the image of a male Roman soldier is used, the fight is not limited to male members of the church. Every believer is valuable enough that Christ died for him/her and therefore every believer should be equal in the army of God. The empowering strength of the Holy Spirit should bring equality and unity in the church.

Durum Wheat Couscous Grains: An Ethnic Mediterranean Food at the Interface of Traditional Domestic Preparation and Industrial Manufacturing

Couscous is the product prepared from durum wheat semolina that agglomerates by adding water and undergoes physical and thermal treatment. Couscous is a traditional food from Mediterranean countries consumed for many centuries. Between ancestral domestic practices and industrial performance, the diversity of methods for couscous processing meets the needs of different consumers, whether they are concerned about preserving family culinary traditions or discovering innovative foods that respond to changing consumption patterns. In this work, we present the story of durum wheat couscous through several complementary visions and approaches: a “historical and societal“ approach to discover the origins of couscous, its migrations and its unifying role in Mediterranean societies; a “physicochemical” approach to describe the role of wheat components at the heart of couscous grains; a “technological” approach to compare domestic and industrial production of couscous; a “food science” approach to understand organoleptic characteristics of couscous grains; and a “consumer” approach to understand the motivations associated with the consumption of couscous.

Forbidden Love in Istanbul: Patterns of Male–Male Sexual Relations in the Early-Modern Mediterranean World

Abstract West European visitors to the Ottoman Empire in the early-modern period frequently referred to sodomy. They depicted it as a common practice there, associated particularly with ‘renegades’ (converts to Islam). The report of an investigation into a sexual scandal at the Venetian embassy in Istanbul in 1588, discussed here, shows special sensitivity to this issue. Historians generally discount the comments of visitors to Ottoman territory on this topic, either dismissing them as mere prejudice, or arguing that the practices they observed were equally current throughout western Europe. This article contests both of those assumptions. While prejudice was indeed present, the observations were accurate overall –– as Ottoman sources confirm. The practices were not equally prevalent in western Europe; they were specific to a pan-Mediterranean culture of same-sex relations between adult men and adolescents. But although the practices were essentially the same, there were significant differences between the Ottoman/Muslim Mediterranean societies and those of the Christian western Mediterranean. In the latter, religious and legal norms were more severe, affecting the degree to which such sexual behaviour was public and culturally expressed; in the former, a strong cultural tradition of homoeroticism gave some legitimation to these same-sex relations, and made them more avowable.

El notariado en el Mediterráneo Occidental medieval: a propósito de un proyecto de investigación

This article presents a research project that studies the figure of the medieval notary and his activity in Western Mediterranean societies. In order to justify the development of this project, the article begins with a state of the the historiography concerning the notarial institution. In this way, the results of the research are included in the context of one of the tendencies of contemporary diplomacy: the history of the notarial institution. The text focuses on the main points of aention of the project, which is centred on the urban environment of the Crown of Aragon, within a broad chronological framework in order to analyse the evolution of this institution from its beginnings in the 13th century to its definitive establishment in the 15th century. In this framework, relations are established between the notary in these territories and others that are part of the area of influence of Roman law, delimiting it in the Western Mediterranean (Iberian Peninsula, Italica and the islands of Sardinia, the Balearic Islands and Sicily). The study of the notarial institution is approached from four main areas: writing, institutions, society and economy, in order to obtain a complete vision. It is therefore necessary to study the notaries’ handwriting and writing practices, including the circulation of notarial documents and notarial literature and their conservation. For this purpose, it is necess- ary to investigate notarial activity in a selection of public notaries’ offices in urban areas, and this will be done by analysing a selection of notarial registers. As far as institutions are concerned, the aim is to study notarial activity in a number of current organisations, what notarial practice is like in these offices and what documents are generated. Finally, a study is undertaken of the notary’s involvement in medieval society and economic life, his role as intermediary, as arbiter, as guarantor of public faith and, on occasions, as builder of the memory and identity of cities.