An essay on the ‘emergence of civilization’ in the Aegean world

Andel, Tjeerd H. van; Runnels, Curtis

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00073968

Cited by 45 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…Moreover, Aegean population theories since the onset of the Holocene, assigning human movements from the Orient and the Balkans are also proposed (Ammerman and Cavalli-Sforza 1984;Cherry 1985Cherry , 1990Van Andel and Runnels 1988;Runnels 1995;Broodbank 2000). Various practical matters concerning seafaring have affected the navigation, exploration and colonization of the Aegean.…”

Section: Clustering Data From the Aegean And Anatoliamentioning

confidence: 99%

Multivariate Mixture of Normals With Unknown Number of Components: An Application to Cluster Neolithic Ceramics From Aegean and Asia Minor Using Portable Xrf*

Papageorgiou

Liritzis

2007

Archaeometry

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Multivariate techniques and especially cluster analysis have been commonly used in Archaeometry. Exploratory and model-based techniques of clustering have been applied in geochemical (continuous) data of archaeological artifacts for provenance studies. Model-based clustering techniques like classification maximum-likelihood and mixture maximum likelihood had been used in a lesser extent in this context and although they seem to be suitable for such data, they either present practical difficulties-like high dimensionality of the data-or their performance give no evidence to support that they prevail on the standard methods (Papageorgiou et al., 2001). In this paper standard statistical methods (hierarchical clustering, principal components analysis) and the recently developed one of the multivariate mixture of normals with unknown number of components (see Dellaportas and Papageorgiou, 2005) in the category of the model-based ones, are applied and compared. The data set comprises of chemical compositions in 188 ceramic samples derived from the Aegean islands and surrounding areas.

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Section: Clustering Data From the Aegean And Anatoliamentioning

confidence: 99%

Multivariate Mixture of Normals With Unknown Number of Components: An Application to Cluster Neolithic Ceramics From Aegean and Asia Minor Using Portable Xrf*

Papageorgiou

Liritzis

2007

Archaeometry

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“…It was noted above that the location of a site on nodes of communication and lines of trade may also have encouraged the development of social ranking and differentiation (Sherratt and Sherratt 1991: 367;van Andel and Runnels 1988). This possibility has been discussed in detail elsewhere for a number of EB II sites and may partly explain the development of complexity at some of the 'small' or 'borderline' sites considered here.…”

Section: Interpretation and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Van Andel and Runnels (1988) have pointed out the importance of location for sites developing social complexity. While developments in agriculture and animal husbandry may have produced a basis for wealth, long-distance trade in the eastern Mediterranean allowed for the spending of wealth and the articulation of status through prestige goods.…”

Section: Social Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Complexity and Population: A Study in the Early Bronze Age Aegean

2004

Papers From the Institute of Archaeology

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It is suggested that the size of a population to some extent defines the limits of its social complexity. State level societies tend to have relatively large populations, and egalitarian communities tend to be relatively small. Since the 1960s, anthropologists have tried to describe and explain this relationship between population size and social complexity, suggesting a causal link between large populations and social differentiation, based on studies of game theory and human cognitive capacity. Once a population rises above a certain level, change in social organisation is deemed inevitable. Approximate figures for these 'population thresholds' have been proposed, but their accuracy and applicability to archaeological populations and communities remain uncertain. This paper explores the hypothetical population threshold at the point when societies begin to show the first signs of ranking in the context of the Early Bronze Age Aegean, comparing the estimated population sizes of particular sites with the evidence they show for ranking and social hierarchy. While larger communities tend to show more evidence for social differentiation, it is recognised that population size is not the sole factor in determining its development.

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“…Moreover, while much fishing was coastal, it was far from always local: pp.115, 118-122, 241 f., supported by Renfrew and Wagstaff (1982) p.33, and echoing the comments of Warmington (1929) pp.19, 27, andRose (1933) p.9, has advanced the theory that much of the exploration (and eventual colonisation) of the Aegean and was initially carried out by fishermen following migratory species of fish, to do which their boats must have been reliably seaworthy. This theory has subsequently been developed by Van Andel and Runnels (1988), and supported by Parker (1992) p.l. While some migration routes, particularly those of tunny, were also largely coastal p.567 n. 22), species such as anchovies and pilchards migrate between coastal areas in summer and the deep open sea in winter: the migration routes of these species, moreover, tend to be the most consistent (Gallant (1985) p.27), and so in these cases we clearly have a situation in which fishermen were sailing deep water in the knowledge that certain species of fish were to be found in particular areas according to the time of year.…”

Section: Plants As Signals Of Changing Seasonsmentioning

confidence: 89%

The Role of the Physical Environment in Ancient Greek Seafaring

Morton¹

2001

148

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for their support, advice, and goodwill, which has continued unabated since I embarked on my Ph.D., and without which I would have lost my bearings long ago. Like the navigators who are the focus of this thesis, I have often reassessed my position and my outlook, and have made various changes of direction during my journey over the past five years, and here again I must acknowledge the help of all of those guides whose local knowledge, whether academic or geographic, has helped me to steer my course, and whose hospitality has greeted me at various ports of call: Chris Cassels, Dr. Betsy Gebhard, John and family in Emborio (Chios), Niko Laos and family in Athens and in the Mani, Ian Morrison, Haydar Namli, the Odyssey flotilla, Bill Phelps, Rob Schumacher, Ann Thomas, and all those other friends who have made my time in Edinburgh and in Greece so rewarding. In addition I am grateful to the administrators of the Hector and Elizabeth Catling Bursary, and of the George C. Scott Fund, without whose help my visits to Greece would have been far shorter and far fewer.

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An essay on the ‘emergence of civilization’ in the Aegean world

Cited by 45 publications

References 31 publications

Multivariate Mixture of Normals With Unknown Number of Components: An Application to Cluster Neolithic Ceramics From Aegean and Asia Minor Using Portable Xrf*

Multivariate Mixture of Normals With Unknown Number of Components: An Application to Cluster Neolithic Ceramics From Aegean and Asia Minor Using Portable Xrf*

Social Complexity and Population: A Study in the Early Bronze Age Aegean

The Role of the Physical Environment in Ancient Greek Seafaring

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