‘A PATH LESS TRAVELLED’? A CASE STUDY OF CROSS-REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM BC FROM THE MADRA RIVER DELTA ON THE COASTLINE OF NORTH-WEST ANATOLIA

Assumptions are always made about the levels and directions of cultural connections across regions in western Anatolia and the eastern Aegean in the Early Bronze Age (EBA). However, a lack of primary fieldwork data still inhibits clear conclusions and an understanding of the subtleties and variation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnual of the British School at Athens Vol. 116; pp. 1 - 41
Main Authors Röcklinger, Maria, Horejs, Barbara, Lambrianides, Kyriacos, Spencer, Nigel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.12.2021
Subjects
Archaeology
Best Practices
Bronze Age
Connectivity
Culture
Excavation
Field study
Geology
Geomorphology
Historic artifacts
Interdisciplinary aspects
Material culture
Prehistoric era
Regions
Research Methodology
Anatolia
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Summary:Assumptions are always made about the levels and directions of cultural connections across regions in western Anatolia and the eastern Aegean in the Early Bronze Age (EBA). However, a lack of primary fieldwork data still inhibits clear conclusions and an understanding of the subtleties and variations in such patterns. In particular, primary data is still lacking from the critical coastal ‘touch-point’ of these two regions where material evidence is usually obscured by significant geomorphological change. This article looks at this complex issue of variations in regional connectivity in the EBA through a case study of unpublished primary fieldwork material from the Madra River Delta, a coastal region of north-west Anatolia. Material from the excavation and surface survey of two EBA mound sites in the delta, carried out as part of the interdisciplinary research project, gives a rare opportunity to explore ‘connectivity’ on this coastal area through elements of its EBA material culture, ranging from ceramic and textile production to figurines. The article highlights not only the complex, and unexpected, nature of the inter-regional cultural ‘pathways’ visible in the delta itself, but also the implications – and further questions – which this raises for the cultural connections with the neighbouring region of the north-east Aegean.
ISSN:0068-2454
2045-2403
DOI:10.1017/S0068245420000167