Exchange Systems and Interaction in Ancient Island and Coastal Settings

Abstract

This chapter discusses island and coastal exchange systems and interaction using the Mediterranean and Red Seas as case studies. The authors present a synthesis of the development of different theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of interaction and exchange from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. They rely in particular on the concept of “maritime cultural landscapes”, which has provided the basis for successive interpretative frameworks, in particular the “islandscape” and “seascape”, since its original formulation in the early 1990s. They discuss the archaeological evidence for exchange and interaction in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, providing a comparative and diachronic overview from the Neolithic to the Islamic periods and focusing on phases of increased connectivity. Following this, the authors outline how a relational approach combining multiple data sets can be used to reconstruct island interconnections or “networks of networks,” disentangling social and environmental factors that shaped interaction at different geographical and temporal scales.