UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI DATE: May 13, 2003 I, James Michael Lloyd Newhard , hereby submit this as part of the requirements for the degree of: Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Classics in: the Department of Classics of the College of Arts and Sciences It is entitled: Aspects of Local Bronze Age Economies: Chipped Stone Acquisition and Production Strategies in the Argolid, Greece Approved by: Gisela Walberg Jack L. Davis Thomas Algeo P. Nick Kardulias Aspects of Local Bronze Age Economies: Chipped Stone Acquisition and Production Strategies in the Argolid, Greece A dissertation submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTORATE OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) in the Department of Classics of the College of Arts and Sciences 2003 by James M.L. Newhard B.A., University of Missouri – Columbia, 1994 M.A., University of Cincinnati, 1996 Committee Chair: Dr. Gisela Walberg Abstract This study investigates the regional acquisition, production, and distribution patterns of chipped stone in the Bronze Age Argolid. Specific focus was placed on the discovery of lithic resources which would have provided usable cherts to the Argive settlements. A chert resource near the village of Ayia Eleni appears to have been used by a number of prehistoric communities. Quantities of local chert from these settlements indicate that the northeastern section of the Argolid (Mycenae, Midea, and Tzoungiza) used more quantities of the material than other Argive sites. A model of embedded procurement, encapsulated within pastoral transhumance, is suggested as the method by which the stone was transported from the primary source to the Argive settlements. This interpretation indicates that economic activities were occurring outside the control of the palatial centers, further supporting the theory that the palatial component of the Mycenaean economy was more limited in scope than is often thought. Acknowledgements This project would not have been completed without the assistance of individuals, institutions, and foundations. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to those who have encouraged, guided, and corrected me along the way. I would first like to thank my parents, James A. Newhard and Amy L. Newhard, for their constant love, sacrifice, and support. Their belief in my abilities has been an inspiration to me, and I can only hope to repay them by being a similar parent to their grandchild. To my dissertation committee – Dr. Gisela Walberg, Dr. Jack Davis, Dr. Nick Kardulias, and Dr. Tom Algeo – I owe an immense amount of gratitude for their years of teaching and nurturing. The contributions by Drs. Walberg and Davis to my graduate studies were immeasurable, and I cannot begin to express my deep feelings of respect and esteem. I would like to thank Dr. Kardulias for his willingness to introduce me to lithic analysis, and his kind hospitality during the early years of our association. He has always been the epitome of helpfulness, patience, and encouragement. Dr. Algeo was instrumental in reviewing the geological aspects of this study, and in clarifying key points relating to that field. His patience with an interested non-specialist was greatly appreciated. I would like to thank the faculty of the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati for their help throughout my graduate studies. Dr. Jean Wellington and the staff of the Burnam Classics Library were an infinite source of aid. While the library itself is unparalleled, its staff is in a class by itself. The research for this dissertation was financially supported by the Louis Taft Semple Fund of the Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati; a Geoarchaeology Fellowship from the Malcolm Wiener Laboratory of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens; a Fulbright research fellowship; and a Summer Research Fellowship from the Division of Research and Advanced Studies, University of Cincinnati. Without these sources of funding this dissertation would have not been possible, and I warmly thank these institutions and their benefactors for their support of archaeological research. While in Athens, the members and staff of the Malcolm Wiener Laboratory at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens provided a wealth of support and advice, as well as a wonderful base of operations from which to conduct research. Dr. Sherry Fox, Dr. Floyd McCoy, and Eleni Stathi deserve special mention in this regard. The regular and associate members, staff, and faculty of the school are also warmly thanked for providing an intellectually stimulating and encouraging environment, and for offering me lasting friendships. I would like to thank Brit Hartenberger, Spyros Iakovides, Anna Karabatsoli, Dionysios Matarangas, Curtis Runnels, Eleni Spathari, Myrsini Vartis-Matarangas, Gisela Walberg, Martha Weinke, James Wright, and the staff of the Fourth Ephoreia of Classical and Prehistoric Antiquities (Nafplio, Greece) for their permission, aid, and assistance in studying the lithic material from Lerna, Midea, Mycenae and Tzoungiza. Without their help, this project would not have been possible. I would like to thank past and current graduate students at Cincinnati – especially Eleni Hasaki, Rod Fitzsimons, and Julie Hruby – for their supportive collegiality. Their ideas, suggestions, and frequent discussions over coffee provided a welcoming and productive atmosphere for developing and implementing much of this project. The final drafts of this dissertation were written while I was a staff archaeologist at Gray & Pape, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH), a Core Faculty Instructor at Loyola College (Baltimore, MD), and an Adjunct Instructor at the Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.). I would like to thank them for their encouragement and support. No words can express the love, sacrifice, and encouragement given me by my wife, Kate. Married two months before the beginning of my graduate studies, neither one of us fully understood how the long hours, months apart, and the other strains caused by my pursuit of an advanced degree would affect us. Through her sometimes quiet, sometimes forceful influence, I have come to this point in my life more fully cognizant of my duties as a husband, teacher, scholar, and citizen than I ever would have been without her. Finally, to my Χρηστουλακι, who came into the world near the end of this endeavor. It is his father’s hope that his curiosity about the world around him never ceases. I dedicate this dissertation to him. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................i List of Tables.....................................................................................................................iii List of Figures.................................................................................................................... v Chapter I: Introduction................................................................................................... 1 Chipped Stone as an Economic Indicator ........................................................................... 3 Bronze Age Aegean Economies........................................................................................ 12 Expanding the Use of Chipped Stone Data in Aegean Economic Model-Building.......... 21 Chapter II: Theoretical Discussion of Prehistoric Exchange Systems...................... 27 Polanyi and the Substantivist School of Economics ......................................................... 27 The Expansion of the Institutional Model: World-Systems Theory ................................ 31 Bronze Age Argive Economies......................................................................................... 34 Chapter III: Definition and Origins of Chert..............................................................40 Definition of Chert ............................................................................................................ 40 The Silicates ...................................................................................................................... 42 Formational Processes of Chert......................................................................................... 43 Chapter IV: Methods of Analysis ................................................................................. 49 Descriptive Terms Used.................................................................................................... 49 Typological Descriptions .................................................................................................. 56 Chapter V: The Geological Survey............................................................................... 62 Goals and Parameters of the Geological Survey............................................................... 62 Previous Chert Provenance Studies in Greece .................................................................. 63 General Description of Study Region ............................................................................... 64 Sampling Strategy ............................................................................................................. 66 Collection Strategy............................................................................................................ 69 Results ..............................................................................................................................