https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28466 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:20:36 GMT 2026-04-29T05:20:36Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28457 Boundaries, Borders and Frontiers Langer, Christian; Fernández-Götz, Manuel Boundaries are a complex topic, with different categories being distinguishable depending on the language and with a number of terms often used interchangeably. This discussion paper offers an overview on definitions and introduces different types of boundaries such as geographic, political and social. Drawing on disciplines as varied as border studies, international relations, post-/decolonial thought, and on examples from anthropological fieldwork, insights can be derived for archaeological approaches. In this context, the role of boundaries in the dynamic construction of ethnic identities is highlighted. A discussion of ancient Egyptian terms and concepts of political boundaries underlines the comparative potential of studies in premodern political thought and lived experience. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28457 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28459 Central Place and Central Flow Knitter, Daniel This chapter presents the idea of integrating central place and central flow theory in order to gain a deeper understanding of economic interactions, ranging from the local to the supra-regional scale. Central place theory is suitable to describe the local exchange relationships between settlements and their hinterland. Central flow theory puts forward the idea of cooperation of specific agents. These agents create new work due to the substitution of imports; an inter-settlement interaction between these agents creates a network of goodand information exchange. Hence, both concepts should be regarded as complementary since they describe two important aspects of the characteristics of places: the relationships to their hinterland and the integration of its people into networks of exchange. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28459 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28468 Changing Commerce and Merchant Power in the Indian Ocean Oka, Rahul; Kusimba, Chapurukha M.; Enverova, Deniz; Gogte, Viswas D.; Dandekar, Abhijit Between 300 BCE and 1800 CE, Indian Ocean commerce was managed by traders who bridged exchange networks across the edges and peripheries of empires and interaction spheres through trader alliance networks (TAN). Using Network Theory, we hypothesize that TAN were characterized by high Triadic Closure and relatively little political influence between 300 BCE–1400 CE, and shifted to Brokerage and high political influence after 1400 CE. These shifts and their impacts are tested through archaeological data from the Indian Ocean ports of Chaul, India, and Mtwapa, Kenya. These shifts enable understanding the emergence and impact of trader lobbies, pressure groups, and ‘Great Firms’ as global power brokers, and the rise of Predatory Commerce after 1600 CE that continues to this date. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28468 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28464 East Meets West Dawson, Helen; Nikolakopoulou, Irene Interaction in Mediterranean protohistory is generally considered via the core-periphery model, with greater influence being ascribed to the complex polities of the eastern Mediterranean than to those of the Aegean and central Mediterranean. This is despite archaeological evidence attesting that they actively participated in material and cultural exchanges. In this paper, we focus on Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, reflecting on their interaction spheres and on the meaning of ‘central’ and ‘peripheral’ places. We consider two case studies: Thera and the Aeolian Islands. These islands functioned as maritime hubs in both inter-regional and regional networks. We propose a model of ‘cycles of integration’, as a more accurate and less static representation of interaction. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/28464 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z