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Bronze Age Trade in the Mediterranean

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Bronze Age Trade in the Mediterranean STUDIESSTUDIES ININ MEDITERRANEAN MEDITERRANEAN ARCHAEOLOGYARCHAEOLOGY VOL.VOL. XCxc BRONZEBRONZE AGEAGE TRADETRADE ININ THE MEDITERRANEANMEDITERRANEAN PapersPapers PresentedPresented at the ConferenceConference heldheld atat Rewley Rewley House, House, Oxford, Oxford, in in DecemberDecember 1989 EditedEdited byby N.H.N.H. GaleGale JONSEREDJONSERED 19911991 PAULPAUL ASTROMSASTROMS FORLAGFORLAG CONTENTS Preface iv H.W. Catling:Catling: BronzeBronze AgeAge Trade in thethe Mediterranean: a View 11 A.M. Snodgrass:Snodgrass: BronzeBronze Age Exchange: a Minimalist PositionPosition 1515 A.B. Knapp:Knapp: Spice,Spice, Drugs,Drugs, GrainGrain andand Grog:Grog: OrganicOrganic GoodsGoods inin BronzeBronze Age East 21 Mediterranean TradeTrade G.F. Bass:Bass: EvidenceEvidence of Trade from Bronze Age ShipwrecksShipwrecks 69 S.S. McGrail: BronzeBronze AgeAge SeafaringSeafaring inin thethe Mediterranean:Mediterranean: a ViewView fromfrom N.W. EuropeEurope 8383 J.F. CherryCherry && A.B.A.B. Knapp: Knapp: Quantitative Quantitative Provenance Provenance StudiesStudies and Bronze Age 9292 Trade inin thethe Mediterranean: Mediterranean: SomeSome PreliminaryPreliminary ReflectionsReflections E.B. French:French: TracingTracing ExportsExports of MycenaeanMycenaean Pottery: the Manchester ContributionContribution 121121 R.E.R.E. JonesJones && L.L. Vagnetti: Vagnetti: TradersTraders and and CraftsmenCraftsmen inin thethe CentralCentral Mediterranean:Mediterranean: 127127 ArchaeologicalArchaeological EvidenceEvidence andand ArchaeometricArchaeometric Research Research P.P. Astrgm:Astrom: CanaaniteCanaanite JarsJars fromfrom HalaHala SultanSultan TekkeTekke 149149 P.M.P.M. Fischer:Fischer: Canaanite Pottery from Hala SultanSultan Tekke: AnalysisAnalysis with Secondary 152152 IonIon Mass Spectrometry E.E. Peltenburg: Greeting Gifts and Luxury Faience:Faience: aa ContextContext forfor OrientalisingOrientalising 162162 TrendsTrends in LateLate MycenaeanMycenaean GreeceGreece J.D.J.D. Muhly:Muhly: TheThe DevelopmentDevelopment of Copper Metallurgy inin LateLate BronzeBronze AgeAge Cyprus Cyprus 180180 N.H.N.H. Gale:Gale: Copper Oxhide Ingots:Ingots: theirtheir OriginOrigin andand theirtheir PlacePlace inin thethe Bronze Age 197197 MetalsMetals Trade inin thethe MediterraneanMediterranean Th.Th. Rehren: Selenium and TelluriumTellurium inin MediterraneanMediterranean Copper Copper Ingots Ingots 240240 Z.A.Z.A. Stos-Gale & C.F.C.F. Macdonald:Macdonald: Sources Sources of of Metals Metals and and TradeTrade in in thethe Bronze Bronze 249249 AgeAge Aegean J.J. Evans: Organic Traces andand their Contribution toto thethe UnderstandingUnderstanding of of Trade Trade 289289 P.M.P.M. Warren: A MerchantMerchant Class in Bronze AgeAge Crete?Crete? TheThe EvidenceEvidence of of Egyptian Egyptian 295295 StoneStone Vases from thethe CityCity of of Knossos Knossos J.J. Weingarten: Lateiate BronzeBronze Age Trade within Crete: the Evidence ofof SealsSeals andand 303303 SealingsSealings [email protected]. WWiener: iener: TheThe NatureNature andand ControlControl ofof MinoanMinoan Foreign Trade z*325 A.A. & S.S. Sherratt:Sherratt: FromFrom LuxuriesLuxuries toto Commodities:Commodities: thethe NatureNature of MediterraneanMediterranean 351351 BronzeBronze AgeAge TradingTrading SystemsSystems M.M. Melas: MediterraneanMediterranean TradeTrade inin thethe BronzeBronze Age:Age: a Theoretical Perspective 387387 . iii111 THETHE NATURE ANDAND CONTROL CONTROL OF OF MINOAN MINOAN FOREIGN FOREIGN TRADE TRADE MalcolmMalcolm H.H. Wiener ForFor Sinclair andand Rachel HoodHood THE PREPALATIAL BACKGROUND fromfrom the prepalatialprepalatial period provideprovide supportsupport TradeTrade (along withwith manymany otherother activities) activities) has has forfor thethe minimalist view of trade advocated at beenbeen called thethe worldworld's ’s secondsecond oldestoldest pro- thisthis Symposium byby Snodgrass andand Catling? fession,fession, and indeed thethe eagernesseagerness with whichwhich OrOr doesdoes the evidence cited merely hint at thethe fivefive-year-olds-year-olds trade objectsobjects mightmight suggest suggest truetrue extent of trade,trade, givengiven thethe accidents accidents ofof thatthat tradetrade isis the oldest. InIn archaeological timetime recoveryrecovery andand thethe possibility possibility of oftrade trade in in also,also, trade cancan claimclaim greatgreat antiquityantiquity asas sugg- sugg- perishablesperishables leavingleaving nono trace?trace? OfOf coursecourse eveneven estedested byby the appearance ofof MelianMelian obsidian at occasionaloccasional cross-cultural exchangesexchanges betweenbetween variousvarious places,places, including inlandinland sitessites onon thethe rulersrulers could havehave hadhad majormajor consequences,consequences, GreekGreek mainlandmainland beginningbeginning withwith thethe Paleo-Paleo- suchsuch asas thethe acquisition acquisition of ofknowledge knowledge of of lithiclithic periodperiod (Perles(Per& 1989;c.f.Torrence1989;c.J:Torrence 1986).1986). metallurgymetallurgy andand writingwriting (particularly(particularly ifif thethe exchangeexchange involvedinvolved gifts gifts of of artisans, artisans, a a practicepractice OnOn Crete EM11EMII witnesseswitnesses aa greatgreat expansionexpansion wellwell-attested-attested inin NearNear Eastern texts).texts). ButBut waswas ofof tradetrade horizons,horizons, withwith the the appearance appearance of of BronzeBronze Age long-distance trade as limitedlimited inin importsimports including gold, aa silversilver seal, seal, faie-faie- extentextent and naturenature asas thethe minimalists minimalists suggest? suggest? nce,rice, ivory,ivory, andand EgyptianEgyptian stonestone vasesvases onon thethe islands.islands. TheThe contemporaneous contemporaneous burials burials at at ThreeThree contrary argumentsarguments inin particularparticular seemseem MochlosMochlos givegive evidence forfor the firstfirst timetime ofof worthworth noting. First,First, trade trade would would alwaysalways havehave significantsignificant socialsocial stratification (Soles 1988, consistedconsisted in large partpart ofof goods goods which which leave leave 49-61).49-61). FromFrom aa tombtomb at atMochlos Mochlos with with nono trace.trace. TheThe taletale of of the the mid-l mid -11th1 th centurycentury EMIIAEMIIA to EM111EMIII materialmaterial comescomes a abronze bronze B.C.B.C. voyagevoyage ofof Wenamun, Wenamun, who who travelled travelled daggerdagger ofof Cretan type (Branigan(Branigan 1967,1967, 214-214- fromfrom Egypt toto Byblos toto purchase timbertimber inin 215,215, NoteNote 44), withwith aa tin tin content content of of 4.8% 4.8% exchangeexchange for significantsignificant quantities of linenlinen (Herakleion(Herakleion Museum, HMHM 1560), 1560), suggestingsuggesting garments,garments, papyrus, oxox hides,hides, ropes,ropes, lentils lentils thethe importationimportation ofof tin tin to supplyto supply Cretan Cretan andand fish, plusplus goldgold andand silver,silver, isis an an excellent excellent metalsmiths at at thisthis period.period. TheThe firstfirst ostrichostrich example ofof trade without aa tracetrace (Pemigotti(Pernigotti egg knownknown in inCrete, Crete, from from a tomb a attomb at 1988,1988, 267-268;267-268; DothanDothan 1981,1981, 4-5;4-5; Van Van Palaikastro, alsoalso comescomes fromfrom this this horizon horizon SetersSeters 1979, 37;37; LichtheimLichtheim 1976,1976, 224-230;224-230; (Dawkins(Dawkins 1903-1904, 192-231). TradeTrade linkslinks GardinerGardiner 1961,1961, 306-313). WhenWhen thethe naturenature toto the north at thisthis timetime areare indicatedindicated by the ofof trade goodsgoods cancan bebe determined determined fromfrom their their probable Kythnian origin of the copper fromfrom containers the resultresult isis sometimessometimes aa surprise,surprise, which MinoanMinoan figurines figurines and and daggersdaggers foundfound as inin thethe early early Chalcolithic Chalcolithic period period in thein the in Mesara tholoitholoi areare mademade (Stos-Gale(Stos-Gale 1989,1989, western MediterraneanMediterranean where, inin thethe first first 279-292), andand by by sherds sherds from from EH/ECII EH/ECII half of thethe thirdthird millennium,millennium, MaltaMalta importedimported L sauceboatssauceboats fromfrom good good EM11EMII contextscontexts significantsignificant quantitiesquantities ofof ochreochre fromfrom Sicily for (Wilson,(Wilson, D. E.E. 1985,1985, 358-359). 358-359). use in funeraryfunerary andand otherother ritualsrituals (Maniscalco(Maniscalco 1989,1989, 541). THETHB M~nmmrMINIMALIST VVIEWIEW OF0~ TRADET RADE AND THE PROBLEMSPROBLEMS OF OF INFERENCEINFERENCE FROMER~M Second, harbourharbour sitessites areare particularlyparticularly subjectsubject EVIDENCEEVIDENCI~ to lossloss through through change change of shorelineof shoreline or or Does the limited evidence of overseas contactcontact reoccupation. MuchMuch ofof our our knowledge knowledge of of 325 prepalatial Minoan contacts with Egypt or the ingots from another shipwreck off prepalatial Minoan contacts with Egypt or the ingots from another shipwreck off Haifa),Haifa), Near East comes from the island of Mochlos, and an enormous number of copper ingots Nearwhich East in comes Minoan from times the islandis thought of Mochlos, to have and an enormous number of copper ingots which in Minoan times is thought to have (Bass(Bass 1986). 1986). NearNear Eastern Eastern archives archives from from been part of a peninsula. Detachment as an Ebla, been part of a peninsula. Detachment as an Ebla, ManMari and and the the Assyrian
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