Interweaving Worlds: Systemic Interactions in Eurasia, 7th to 1st Millennia BC

315 Pages·2011·48.744 MB·English

by  Toby C. Wilkinson, Susan Sherratt, John Bennet

INTERWEAVING WORLDS
Systemic Interactions in Eurasia, 7th to 1st Millennia BC
Papers from a conference
in memory of Professor Andrew Sherratt
What Would a Bronze Age World System Look Like?
World systems approaches to Europe and western Asia 4th to 1st millennia BC
Editors
Toby C. Wilkinson, Susan Sherratt and John Bennet
OXBOW BOOKS
Oxford and Oakville
Published by
Oxbow Books, Oxford, UK
© Oxbow Books and the individual authors, 2011
ISBN 978-1-84217-998-7
This book is available direct from:
Oxbow Books, Oxford, UK
(Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone])
and
The David Brown Book Company
PO Box 511, Oakville, CT 06779, USA
(Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone])
or from our website
www.oxbowbooks.com
Front cover: The Wadi al-Rum, Jordan. Photograph: Anja Slawisch, 2007
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Interweaving worlds : systemic interactions in Eurasia, 7th to 1st millennia BC / editors, Toby C. Wilkinson,
Susan Sherratt and John Bennet.
p. cm.
“Papers from a conference in Sheffi ed in 2008 in memory of Professor Andrew Sherratt.”
This book represents the proceedings of a conference organised by the Department of Archaeology at the University
of Sheffi eld on 1st–4th April 2008 in memory of Andrew Sherratt. The conference itself took place under the title
“What Would a Bronze Age World System Look Like?”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84217-998-7 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Prehistoric peoples--Eurasia. 2. Commerce, Prehistoric--Eurasia. 3. Economics, Prehistoric--Eurasia. 4.
Antiquities, Prehistoric--Eurasia. 5. Sherratt, Andrew, 1946-2006. I. Wilkinson, Toby C. II. Sherratt, Susan.
III. Bennet, John, 1957-
GN489.I48 2011
950’.1--dc23
2011024272
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Short Run Press, Exeter
CONTENTS
Contributors v
1. Introduction 1
Susan Sherratt
2. Global Development 4
†Andrew Sherratt
A. The Warp: Global Systems and Interactions
3. Evolutions and Temporal Delimitations of Bronze Age World-Systems in Western
Asia and the Mediterranean 7
Philippe Beaujard
4. The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Andrew Sherratt 27
Cyprian Broodbank
5. Ingestion and Food Technologies: Maintaining Differences over the Long-term in
West, South and East Asia 37
Dorian Q Fuller and Michael Rowlands
6. Revolutionary Secondary Products: the Development and Signifi cance of Milking,
Animal-Traction and Wool-Gathering in Later Prehistoric Europe and the Near East 61
Paul Halstead and Valasia Isaakidou
7. World-Systems and Modelling Macro-Historical Processes in Later Prehistory:
an Examination of Old and a Search for New Perspectives 77
Philip L. Kohl
8. ‘From Luxuries to Anxieties’: a Liminal View of the Late Bronze Age World-System 87
Christopher M. Monroe
9. Re-integrating ‘Diffusion’: the Spread of Innovations among the Neolithic and Bronze
Age Societies of Europe and the Near East 100
Lorenz Rahmstorf
10. What might the Bronze Age World-System Look Like? 120
David A. Warburton
11. ‘Archival’ and ‘Sacrifi cial’ Economies in Bronze Age Eurasia: an Interactionist Approach 135
to the Hoarding of Metals
David Wengrow
iv Contents
B. The Weft: The Local and the Global
12. The Formation of Economic Systems and Social Institutions during the Fifth and Fourth
Millennia BC in the Southern Levant 145
Nils Anfi nset
13. Negotiating Metal and the Metal Form in the Royal Tombs of Alacahöyük in
North-Central Anatolia 158
Christoph Bachhuber
14. The Near East, Europe, and the ‘Routes’ of Community in the Early Bronze Age
Black Sea 175
Alexander A. Bauer
15. Between Assyria and the Mediterranean World: the Prosperity of Judah and Philistia
in the Seventh Century BCE in Context 189
Avraham Faust and Ehud Weiss
16. Northeast Africa and the Levant in Connection: a World-Systems Perspective on
Interregional Relationships in the Early Second Millennium BC 205
Roxana Flammini
17. Strands of Connectivity: Assessing the Evidence for Long Distance Exchange of Silk in
Later Prehistoric Eurasia 218
Irene Good
18. Travelling in (World) Time: Transformation, Commoditization, and the Beginnings of
Urbanism in the Southern Levant 231
Raphael Greenberg
19. Bridging India and Scandinavia: Institutional Transmission and Elite Conquest during
the Bronze Age 243
Kristian Kristiansen
20. New Kid on the Block: the Nature of the First Systemic Contacts between Crete and the
Eastern Mediterranean around 2000 BC 266
Borja Legarra Herrero
21. Lost in Translation: the Emergence of Mycenaean Culture as a Phenomenon of
Glocalization 282
Joseph Maran
22. Anticipating the Silk Road: Some Thoughts on the Wool–Murex Connection in Tyre 295
Jane Schneider
23. Unbounded Structures, Cultural Permeabilities and the Calyx of Change: Mesopotamia
and its World 303
Norman Yoffee
CONTRIBUTORS
Nils Anfi nset Kristian Kristiansen
University of Bergen University of Gothenburg
Alexander A. Bauer Borja Legarra Herrero
City University of New York University of Leicester
Christoph Bachhuber Joseph Maran
British Institute at Ankara University of Heidelberg
Philippe Beaujard Christopher M. Monroe
CNRS Cornell University
John Bennet Lorenz Rahmstorf
University of Sheffi eld University of Mainz
Cyprian Broodbank Michael Rowlands
University College London University College London
Avraham Faust Jane Schneider
Bar-Ilan University City University of New York
Roxanna Flammini Susan Sherratt
Pontifi cal Catholic University of Argentina University of Sheffi eld
CONICET
David A. Warburton
Dorian Q Fuller University of Lyon
University College London
Ehud Weiss
Irene Good Bar-Ilan University
Harvard University
David Wengrow
Raphael Greenberg University College London
Tel Aviv University
Toby C. Wilkinson
Paul Halstead University of Sheffi eld
University of Sheffi eld
Norman Yoffee
Valasia Isaakidou University of Nevada
University of Sheffi eld
Philip L. Kohl
Wellesley College
Archaeologist, Teacher, Friend.
Professor Andrew G. Sherratt , 1946–2006.
1.
Introduction
Susan Sherratt
This book represents the proceedings of a conference In doing this, Andrew was fully aware that he was
organised by the Department of Archaeology at the University plunging into a number of areas of controversy: above all,
of Sheffi eld on 1st–4th April 2008 in memory of Andrew into that between competing ‘evolutionary’/‘autonomist’
Sherratt. The conference itself took place under the title and ‘diffusionist’/‘interventionist’ paradigms for interpreting
“What Would a Bronze Age World System Look Like? World European prehistory, which represented the continuation of
systems approaches to Europe and western Asia, 4th to 1st the old antagonisms between ‘processualist’ and ‘culture-
millennia BC”, which incorporated a blatant reference to the historical’ readings of archaeology (it came as no surprise
title of one of Andrew’s more widely known and in some at all, therefore, to fi nd himself accused of dressing up old-
ways more controversial publications (Sherratt 1993a). In fashioned diffusionism in a more fashionable – but irrelevant
this he argued that it was possible to combine the insights – terminology [cf. Sherratt 1993b]); but also into that which
of detailed regional studies with a broader continental lay between modern world-historians dealing consistently
perspective to develop a more sophisticated approach to with a macro-picture and the generally more parochial
inter-regional relationships between temperate Europe and concerns of archaeologists confi ned by trends within the
the Mediterranean in later prehistory – an approach whose history of their discipline to ever more detailed analysis of
aim was to uncover the large-scale systemics behind long- the contents of narrow regional or chronological boxes. As a
term change and situate these within a larger structural result, the notion of a ‘Bronze-Age world-system’ has tended
setting which had the ability to explain not only why and to be attacked on two fronts. On the one hand, it has been
how developments took place but why they took place misunderstood (sometimes wilfully) as an attempt literally
where and when they did. Adapting (but certainly not simply to transplant Wallerstein’s analysis and terminology into the
adopting) some of the more general concepts and terminology conditions of prehistory – which, given that there is much in
of Immanuel Wallerstein’s early modern ‘World-System’ his early modern World-System which explicitly precludes
(Wallerstein 1974), he argued that, for much of its Bronze this, is, in any case, a logical impossibility; while, at the
Age, temperate Europe acted as a ‘margin’ to an expanding same time, the idea of political subjugation, along with the
Near Eastern/Mediterranean ‘core-periphery’ system with essentially politically-derived (and ideologically distasteful)
its ultimate origins in the 4th millennium urbanisation of notion of ‘dependency’, has often been accorded an artifi cial
southern Mesopotamia, and in this capacity was not only prominence within this misunderstanding. On the other hand
indirectly (and selectively) affected by innovations pulsing (particularly from the perspective of the equally politically-
out from this system but, through the formation of successive derived body of ‘post-colonial’ theory), a world-systems
long-distance axial routes directly related to the growth of approach has been accused of sweeping in blanket-fashion
the latter and the fl ows or trickles of materials, ideas and over local variations in social or cultural structures and
practices which moved in different directions along these, trajectories, and of focusing on the interactions of regions at
began to experience the kinds of structural changes which the expense of individuals – even though such an approach
led to its progressive integration into the system as a whole of itself need present no obstacle to the detailed examination
during the course of the Iron Age. of local socio-cultural practices and peculiarities or of the
2 Susan Sherratt
roles of individuals (where visible). Rather, the wholly economically and culturally increasingly interwoven world,
contextual nature of such an approach logically demands that the fabric of which – far from being plain and uniform – is
questions of interaction (and of the motivations, mechanisms, made interesting by a multitude of diverse and complex
structures and effects – or lack of effects – of interaction) be patterns when one looks closely. If at least two of the papers
investigated and, if possible, explained at every conceivable emphasise the importance of non-metaphorical textiles in
scale and level. the interweaving of this world, the metaphor itself seems
Contrived though some of the disputes might appear to temptingly apt in its own right, since little can be more
be, there is nevertheless a serious and sustained debate to systemic and structured than the interactive relationships
be had about the usefulness of what might loosely be called of the warp and the weft, which are nevertheless open to a
a ‘world-systems’ approach in explaining structural change great variety of twists and turns, or to the picking up of new
over the long term in various areas of Europe and western threads and the dropping of others, within the overall context
Asia. And it was with this in mind that we decided that the of the developing cloth.
aim of the conference should be to review its applicability to The conference brought together an unusually diverse
interpreting aspects of the long-term archaeological record group of people with a remarkable range of geographical,
within this macro-region and to discuss the ways in which (if chronological and topical interests and perspectives – people
at all) such an approach or perspective might best be tailored who perhaps would not normally fi nd themselves together at a
to prehistoric or early historical contexts. Hence the title under single meeting and who, thankfully, as a body would probably
which the conference was planned and held. never be capable of reaching the consensus of ‘received
If we might have been a little anxious at the outset to avoid wisdom’. They included old friends of Andrew’s (and in
the conference turning into a series of tedious arguments some cases old sparring-partners) of many years standing,
between proponents and opponents of ‘world-systems’ as well as people he had never met but would have relished
approaches, then we need not have worried. On the contrary, encountering. After the good-humoured discussions which
once it was underway we realised that our initial ambitions formed such a stimulating part of each of the three days, a
had been far too limited, and that the title did not adequately number of us came away thinking how much Andrew, whose
refl ect either the scope of papers and posters presented at it interests knew few limits and who delighted in debate, would
and the thrust of the very lively and wide-ranging discussions have enjoyed it. As John Barrett said in his closing remarks,
which took place during its course, or, indeed, what many of you could almost hear him purring.
the participants were really talking about. Andrew himself It seems only right to allow Andrew the last (if more or
had been gradually moving away from a Wallersteinian less literally fi rst) word in the book of the conference held
vocabulary, in order to make clear to those who could not in his memory with a piece he started writing (but never
or would not see it that a ‘world-systems’ approach to the quite fi nished) for a projected ‘White Pages’ section of his
prehistoric or ancient world did not – and could not – involve a ArchAtlas website, which he envisaged as hosting text-based
retrojection in any recognisable form of Wallerstein’s World- discussions on aspects of the general themes of the website.
System. The concept of ‘margin’ had already been introduced It includes several of the observations, ideas and concepts
(Sherratt 1993a); the term ‘structural interactionist’ became (and one of his trademark diagrams) which informed both his
interchangeable with ‘world-systems’ (e.g. Sherratt 1995) view of the inevitable logic of a long-term structural approach
and latterly seemed set to replace it altogether (Sherratt to the history of human societies from an archaeological
2001); and he was experimenting with a variety of metaphors perspective and the philosophy behind ArchAtlas. It also
through which to conceptualise the spatial, chronological and touches on some of the more general issues raised or discussed
structural nature of change produced by the interactions of a by the papers in this book.
growing system (Sherratt 2000; 2005). Though the papers in Before leaving the reader with Andrew’s own words in
these proceedings range in scope from the near-global over the following chapter, however, some acknowledgements
several millennia to the regional or even site-centred over are due. John Barrett (then Head of the Department of
a much more limited timespan, from the synoptic to more Archaeology at Sheffi eld) came up with the initial idea for
detailed thematic focuses and from the highly abstracted to the conference and set the arrangements in motion. John
the tangibly concrete, they all deal with interactions which Bennet (his successor as Head of Department) saw it through
reveal themselves to be systemic in character and to have and contributed greatly both to its successful organisation
systemic effects, and to that extent fall within what Andrew and to the editing of this volume. Deborah Harlan, Valasia
meant by a ‘world-systems’ perspective while obviating the Isaakidou and Vaso Tzevelikidi provided a magnifi cent
rhetorical antagonisms which that rubric so often evokes. reception on the fi rst evening and, helped by Tim Cockrell,
They present a series of analytical glimpses, at a wide variety Angeliki Karathanou, Angeliki Karagianni, Kate Lantzas,
of scales of chronological and geographical resolution, of an Anastasia Vasileiadou and Corien Wiersma, ensured the
1. Introduction 3
Figure 1.1. Participants at the conference in memory of Andrew Sherratt: “What Would a Bronze Age World System Look
Like? World systems approaches to Europe and western Asia, 4th to 1st millennia BC”, Department of Archaeology, University
of Sheffi eld, 1st–4th April 2008.
smooth running of the conference in numerous ways; and Sherratt, A. (1993b) ‘Who are you calling peripheral?’ Depend-
Jo Mirfi eld kept track of participant registration and more ence and independence in European prehistory. In C. Scarre
generally the fi nancial side. Above all, Toby Wilkinson took and F. Healy (eds.) Trade and exchange in prehistoric Europe,
on the lion’s share of responsibility for its detailed practical 245–255. Oxford, Oxbow.
organisation (including the website) and for making sure Sherratt, A. (1995) Reviving the grand narrative: archaeology
that this book reached completion. The Economic History and long-term change. Journal of European Archaeology
3(1), 1–32.
Society, the Past & Present Society, the Council for British
Sherratt, A. (2000) Envisioning global change: a long-term
Research in the Levant, the Devolved Fund of the Arts and
perspective. In R. A. Denemark, J. Friedman, B. K. Gills
Humanities Division and the Humanities Research Institute
and G. Modelski (eds.) World System History: the social
of the University of Sheffi eld generously provided funding
science of long-term change, 115–132. London and New
or free use of facilities, and to all of these we are extremely
York, Routledge.
grateful.
Sherratt, A. (2001) World history: an archaeological perspective.
In S. Sogner (ed.) Making Sense of Global History. The 19th
International Congress of the Historical Sciences Oslo 2000
Commemorative Volume, 34–54. Oslo, Universitetsforlaget.
References
Sherratt, A. (2005) Contagious Processes. ArchAtlas, February
Sherratt, A. (1993a) What would a Bronze-Age world system 2010, Edition 4, http://www.archatlas.org/Processes/
look like? Relations between temperate Europe and the ContagiousProcesses.php. Accessed 15th March 2010.
Mediterranean in later prehistory. Journal of European Wallerstein, I. (1974) The Modern World-System. New York,
Archaeology 1(2), 1–37. Academic Press.