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.