This volume includes (a) papers dealing with theoretical and realistic frameworks helpful to understanding interaction in Antiquity and (b) papers elaborating on the history and nature of interaction or evidence of interaction in the East Mediterranean/Levantine/Egyptian region, taking account of most of the history from the early 2nd millennium BC to the 1st millennium AD. In the choice of papers, one aim was to offer input into a growing discussion about theoretical approaches taking account of different kinds of exchange and contact in Antiquity. Another aim was to include material which offers actual evidence (of prices and materials) demonstrating the parameters of exchange – without constraining the presentation by a theoretical approach, while offering stimulus to such.

This paper introduces key concepts of network theory and analysis, and their relevance to archaeological research. The framework is compared to alternative approaches, in particular World-Systems Theory (WST) and its offshoot, World-Systems Analysis (WSA). After reviewing both strengths and weaknesses of a networks perspective through relevant examples, the discussion highlights potential developments for understanding cultural connectivity with particular reference to social complexity.

Boundaries, limits and frontiers are topics of special interest to those involved in studying interconnectivity among different societies, both past and present. World-Systems Analysis (WSA), derived from World-Systems Theory (WST) is a macro-theoretical perspective which allows approaching interconnectivity in the long-term and in broad territorial scenarios. In this contribution I shall reappraise the key concepts of the original WST, the main theoretical discussions related to WSA, and the incidence of these theoretical approaches in Bronze Age Afro-Eurasian studies.

Empires require a functional infrastructure and sustaining resources, but there are many ways in which these can be achieved, and they have implications for the stability and persistence of imperial systems. This paper will compare and contrast key aspects of Mediterranean empires. It begins with the territorial states of Mycenaean Greece, which may or may not have formed a loose federal empire, then progresses through the Early Roman Empire to that of Late Roman antiquity, the Byzantine Empire, and ends with the Early then Late Ottoman Empire. Political structure, demography and economy will be given particular attention.

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.

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.

This article studies water transport in southern Mesopotamia and along the Middle Euphrates. Based on the author’s PhD thesis of 2002 with the addition of new material we discuss transported goods, boat sizes, the organization of transport and the cost particularly in the 2nd millennium. Based on established documented prices, a comparison with the costs of overland transport is attempted. In the appendix, three hitherto unpublished ‘tax passes’ from Babylonia similar to those known from the Mari archives are published for the first time.

Political and economic networks which linked societies from the Levant to Nubia during the 2nd millennium BC were integrated as a world-system, fluctuating from a coreperiphery differentiation (ca. 2000 to 1800 BC) to a core-periphery hierarchy (ca. 1530 to 1200 BC) through a disruptive process which took place ca. 1800 to 1530 BC. This paper approaches this disruptive process, probably triggered by a legitimacy crisis in the core area. Disruption resulted in the emergence of a multiple independent cores; and also revealed local cultural features and practices. Despite the difficulties posed by the evidence, an attempt to analyse the relationships these political entities sustained is made.

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.

The history and distribution of Bronze Age Mediterranean stone anchors reflect the trade routes, and probably that of copper in particular. Although generally associated with the eastern Mediterranean, they are found farther afield – and, although their usage in the late second millennium BC may well have been largely commercial, the origins of the anchors may lie in the activities of the Egyptian state. There is thus an historical development as well as a distribution pattern. Aligning this archaeological evidence with the various models on offer is a challenge or an opening, as the material is mute and open to discussion.

After Theoderic the Great had effectively taken the place of the Western Roman Emperor, he based his border defence on late Roman designs, but adapted it to the new situation he faced. While claiming Raetia and Noricum for his realm he established little direct presence, relying on local troops and a shadow of hierarchy. This contributed to the northern border being fuzzy. Contrasting this with the Balkans border highlights the effect a direct presence of Theoderic’s troops had in the long run. The attempt to establish clear borders against opposition from the Eastern Roman Empire forced many local powers to realign their allegiances. Whereas the fuzziness of the northern border stabilized the region, the clear but contested borders on the Balkans eventually destabilized the region.

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.

Wanderungsbewegungen gehören zu den zentralen Gegenständen historischer Forschung und Darstellung. Sie fungieren als historische Wegmarken oder Epochenschwellen und spielen eine zentrale Rolle bei der (Trans-) Formation von Räumen und kollektiven Identitäten. Dabei weisen moderne wissenschaftliche Darstellungen von Wanderungsbewegungen aus unterschiedlichen Kontexten, Zeiten und Räumen erstaunliche inhaltliche Ähnlichkeiten und analoge Erzählmuster auf, die sich keineswegs durch vermeintliche Parallelen in den dargestellten Ereignissen erklären lassen. Vielmehr scheinen diese ihren Hintergrund in der Art und Weise zu haben, wie Migrationen dargestellt und erzählt werden. Die Beiträge des vorliegenden Bandes decken ein breites Spektrum vornehmlich altertumswissenschaftlicher Disziplinen ab und vermögen zu zeigen, dass noch die jüngere Wanderungshistoriographie tradierten Erzählmustern folgt, die teilweise bis in die Antike zurückreichen.

On 23 April 1957, Dr. Albert Schweitzer had his “A Declaration of Conscience” published via Radio Oslo. The call for nuclear disarmament was broadcasted by many international radio stations and printed one day later in the New York Times on 24 April 1957. This exhibition was opened on 24 April 2017, sixty years later, and was on display at the Berlin Anti-War Museum’s Peace Gallery until 24 September 2017. Meanwhile the Foundation German Albert Schweitzer Center (“Stiftung Deutsches Albert-Schweitzer-Zentrum Frankfurt/Main”) has organized presentations of this Schweitzer Peace Exhibition in many public places. This exhibition is based on texts by Dr. Albert Schweitzer and addresses his commitment: 1) against any war in principle, 2) against nuclear weapons and nuclear war, 3) for the reverence for life.

Zahlreiche schriftquellen des Mittelalters und der Frühen Neuzeit zeugen von der Auseinandersetzung mit dem antiken Stadtraum Roms, seinen Monumenten, Statuen, Inschriften und Denkmälern. Die vorliegende Studie legt den Fokus auf die periegetische Erfassung Roms in nachantiker Zeit, denn mit dem verstärkten Interesse an der Antike werden gerade im 15. und beginnenden 16. Jahrhundert immer wieder neue Routen für archäologische Spaziergänge erprobt. Anhand einer exemplarischen Auswahl wegbeschreibender Romführer zeichnet die Autorin die unterschiedlichen Wegesysteme der mittelalterlichen und frühneuzeitlichen Romführer nach und zeigt auf, wie sich die Ewige Stadt einhergehend mit ihrer Darstellung in Karten und Bildern auch in den Schriftmedien der Frühen Neuzeit zu einem virtuell und real erfahrbaren Bewegungsraum herausbildet.

Zwischen dem 5. und 1. Jhdt. v. Chr. betrachteten politische Theoretiker in China und Europa Musik als nützlichen Maßstab für den politischen Charakter und Zustand von Gesellschaften und ihren Machthabern. Auch wenn ihre Ansichten keiner wissenschaftlichen Basis entsprangen, können schriftliche Überlieferungen und archäologische Quellen heute herangezogen werden, um Musik und damit zusammenhängende kulturelle Äußerungen im Umfeld der Macht und ihren unmittelbaren Einflussbereichen zu verorten. Sie können so über Identität, Selbstverständnis, Ansehen und Status informieren: vom Haushalt über den Staat, bei Eroberungen und Machtausübung, im Fall von Widerständen und Rebellionen sowie in der Rechtsprechung, Diplomatie und Schlichtung. Allem Anschein nach können diese Quellen in der Tat etwas Neues über Machtbeziehungen, Ideologie und politischen Wandel in der antiken Welt vermitteln. Sie dienen zudem als indirekter Indikator für politische agency in schriftlosem Umfeld.

Zwischen dem 5. und 1. Jhdt. v. Chr. betrachteten politische Theoretiker in China und Europa Musik als nützlichen Maßstab für den politischen Charakter und Zustand von Gesellschaften und ihren Machthabern. Auch wenn ihre Ansichten keiner wissenschaftlichen Basis entsprangen, können schriftliche Überlieferungen und archäologische Quellen heute herangezogen werden, um Musik und damit zusammenhängende kulturelle Äußerungen im Umfeld der Macht und ihren unmittelbaren Einflussbereichen zu verorten. Sie können so über Identität, Selbstverständnis, Ansehen und Status informieren: vom Haushalt über den Staat, bei Eroberungen und Machtausübung, im Fall von Widerständen und Rebellionen sowie in der Rechtsprechung, Diplomatie und Schlichtung. Allem Anschein nach können diese Quellen in der Tat etwas Neues über Machtbeziehungen, Ideologie und politischen Wandel in der antiken Welt vermitteln. Sie dienen zudem als indirekter Indikator für politische agency in schriftlosem Umfeld.

Die östliche Zhou- (770–221 v. Chr.) und die Han-Dynastie (206 v. Chr.–220 n. Chr.) waren Perioden sozialer, kultureller und politischer Umwälzungen in China. In dieser Übergangszeit hat sich China von einem durch rivalisierende Staaten beherrschten zu einem unter einem einzigen Herrscher vereinten Land gewandelt. Archäologische Funde aus dem 7. und 6. Jh. v. Chr. legen nahe, dass sich die rivalisierenden Staaten größtenteils der musikalischen Tradition des Zhou-Staats angepasst haben. Die Fülle an Glocken und Klangsteinspielen, die bisher mit Zhou-staatlichen Zeremonien und Ahnenritualen verbunden werden, zeugen von diesem Einfluss. Jedoch implizieren materielle Belege aus dem 5. und 4. Jh. v. Chr. einen weitgreifenden Wandel auf der kulturellen und musikalischen Ebene, vor allem im zunehmend an Macht gewinnenden Chu-Staat. Trotz des politischen Niedergangs der Chu im 3. Jh. v. Chr. hielten sich die musikalischen und kulturellen Einflüsse bis in die Han-Dynastie.