Mediterranean Voyages: The Archaeology of Island Colonisation and Abandonment

325 Pages·2013·5.29 MB·English

by  Helen Dawson

MEDITERRANEAN
VOYAGES
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MEDITERRANEAN
VOYAGES
The Archaeology of
Island Colonisation
and Abandonment
Helen Dawson
Walnut Creek, California
LEFT COAST PRESS, INC.
1630 North Main Street, #400
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
http://www.LCoastPress.com
Copyright: 2014 by Left Coast Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys-
tem, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-61132-994-0 hardback
ISBN 978-1-61132-996-4 institutional eBook
ISBN 978-1-61132-746-5 consumer eBook
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Dawson, Helen (Helen Sarah)
Mediterranean voyages : the archaeology of island colonisation and abandonment /Helen
Dawson.
pages cm. — (Publications of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61132-994-0 (hardback)
ISBN 978-1-61132-996-4 (institutional ebook)
ISBN 978-1-61132-746-5 (consumer ebook)
1. Island archaeology—Mediterranean Region. 2. Prehistoric peoples—Mediterranean Region.
3. Antiquities, Prehistoric—Mediterranean Region. 4. Mediterranean Region—Colonization. 5.
Excavations (Archaeology)—Mediterranean Region. I. Title.
GN848.D38 2013
937—dc23
2013022301
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American Na-
tional Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992.
C
ONTENTS
LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS............................................................................................7
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................11
CHAPTER1: ISLANDARCHAEOLOGIES.................................................................13
CHAPTER2: THEMEDITERRANEAN: PHYSICALANDCULTURALSPACES.........22
CHAPTER3: THEORIESOFCOLONISATION..........................................................42
CHAPTER4: ISLANDCOLONISATIONINTHEWESTERNMEDITERRANEAN......69
CHAPTER5: ISLANDCOLONISATIONINTHEEASTERNMEDITERRANEAN......123
CHAPTER6: REDEFININGISLANDCOLONISATION............................................146
CHAPTER7: THEORIESOFABANDONMENT.......................................................180
CHAPTER8: ISLANDSINTIME............................................................................209
CHAPTER9: MEDITERRANEANVOYAGES...........................................................260
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................270
INDEX....................................................................................................................317
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR.............................................................................................324
To Karsten and Charlotte
&
To my parents
I
LLUSTRATIONS
Figures
Cover: Punta Milazzese, Panarea, Middle Bronze Age village
Fig. 2.1 Map of the Mediterranean region......................................................................23
Fig. 2.2a–c The Mediterranean coastline at 20, 12, and 6 kyr BP...............................28
Fig. 2.3 The Italian coastline at 12 kyr BP......................................................................30
Fig 2.4 The Aegean coastline at 12 kyr BP.....................................................................31
Fig 2.5 Neolithic art inside Grotta del Genovese...........................................................32
Fig. 3.1 Island biogeography: stepping-stone effect and target–distance ratio.........44
Fig. 3.2 Cherry’s (1981) cumulative plot of island colonisation..................................50
Fig. 4.1 Map of the Spanish islands with location of sites discussed in text.............72
Fig. 4.2 Map of the Îles d’Hyères......................................................................................82
Fig. 4.3 Map of Sardinia and Corsica with location of sites discussed in text..........84
Fig. 4.4 Map of the north-central Tyrrhenian islands...................................................91
Fig. 4.5 Detail of central Tyrrhenian islands..................................................................94
Fig. 4.6 Plan of Vivara with archaeological sites............................................................94
Fig. 4.7 Map of Sicily and its minor islands....................................................................96
Fig. 4.8 Map of western Sicily: Ègadi Islands and Mozia...........................................103
Fig. 4.9 Grotta del Genovese, Levanzo, as seen from the sea.....................................104
Fig. 4.10 Map of main archaeological sites in the Aeolian archipelago...................106
Fig. 4.11 Map of the south-central Mediterranean.....................................................108
Fig. 4.12 Map of Maltese archipelago with sites discussed in text............................110
Fig. 4.13 Map of northeastern Morocco and western Algerian coast with
islands discussed in text..............................................................................................112
Fig. 4.14 Map of southeastern Tunisian islands...........................................................113
Fig. 4.15 Map of central Adriatic island bridge...........................................................118
Fig. 4.16 Map of the northern Adriatic islands............................................................121
Fig. 5.1 Map of the Ionian islands with sites discussed in text..................................124
Fig. 5.2 Map of the southwest Aegean islands.............................................................127
Fig. 5.3 Map of the Aegean showing location of key sites in the Cyclades.............129
Fig. 5.4 Map of southeast Aegean islands.....................................................................132
Fig. 5.5 Map of northeast Aegean islands.....................................................................134
Fig. 5.6 Map of Crete with sites discussed in text.......................................................137
Fig. 5.7 Map of Cyprus with sites discussed in text....................................................140
Fig. 6.1 Revised cumulative colonisation plot for the eastern and
western Mediterranean islands..................................................................................150
Fig. 6.2 Rates of colonisation in the eastern and western Mediterranean islands....153
Fig. 6.3 The effect of distance in the colonisation of the western
Mediterranean islands.................................................................................................154
Fig. 6.4 The effect of distance in the colonisation of the eastern
Mediterranean islands.................................................................................................154
Fig. 6.5 The effect of size in the colonisation of the western
Mediterranean islands.................................................................................................155
Fig. 6.6 The effect of size in the colonisation of the eastern
Mediterranean islands.................................................................................................155
Fig. 6.7 Rates of colonisation in the Spanish islands..................................................157
Fig. 6.8 Phases of occupation in the Spanish islands..................................................158
Fig. 6.9 Rates of colonisation in the northern and central Tyrrhenian islands......159
Fig. 6.10 Rates of colonisation in the Aeolian Islands................................................159
Fig. 6.11 Phases of occupation in the Aeolian Islands................................................160
Fig. 6.12 Rates of colonisation in the North African islands.....................................161
Fig. 6.13 Rates of colonisation in the Dalmatian islands...........................................161
Fig. 6.14 Rates of colonisation in the Ionian islands...................................................162
Fig. 6.15 Rates of colonisation in the southwest Aegean islands..............................163
Fig. 6.16 Rates of colonisation in the Northern Sporadhes.......................................163
Fig. 6.17 Rates of colonisation in the northeast Aegean islands...............................164
Fig. 6.18 Rates of colonisation in the southeast Aegean islands...............................165
Fig. 6.19 Rates of colonisation in the Cyclades............................................................165
Fig. 6.20 Rates of colonisation for the entire Mediterranean during
the Neolithic..................................................................................................................169
Fig. 6.21 Rates of pre-Neolithic, Neolithic, and post-Neolithic colonisation..........170
Fig. 8.1 Map with location of abandonment case studies..........................................211
Fig. 8.2 View of Filicudi from Capo Graziano towards Piano del Porto.................233
Fig. 8.3 Filicudi, Capo Graziano (EBA) hut.................................................................233
Fig. 8.4 Panarea, the MBA village at Punta Milazzese................................................235
Fig. 8.5 Panarea, Punta Milazzese hut...........................................................................235
Fig. 8.6 Malta, Ħaġar Qim Temple.................................................................................238
Fig. 8.7 The Sese Grande (EBA megalithic burial) on Pantelleria............................243
Fig. 8.8 San Nicola, view of the medieval fortifications.............................................245
Fig. 8.9 Timelines for Kythera, Naxos, Kea, Melos, and Cyprus................................247
Fig. 8.10 Timelines for Malta, Palagruža, Hvar, Jerba, and Tremiti Islands.............247
Fig. 8.11 Timelines for Ibiza and Formentera..............................................................247
Fig. 8.12 Timelines for the Aeolian Islands..................................................................247
Fig. 8.13 Timelines for islands with obsidian...............................................................252
Fig. 8.14 Timelines for islands smaller than 10 sq km...............................................253
Tables
Table 4.1 Waldren’s (1992) original chronology for the Balearic Islands...................71
Table 4.2 Radiocarbon dates for the Balearic and Pitiussae islands
referred to in the texts.............................................................................................74–76
Table 4.3 Revised chronology for the Balearic Islands.................................................77
Table 4.4 Radiocarbon dates for Grotta Corbeddu, Sardinia......................................85
Table 4.5 Selected radiocarbon dates for Corsica..........................................................89
Table 4.6 Sicilian chronology............................................................................................97
Table 4.7 Radiocarbon dates from Sicily, minor islands, and Malta..................98–100
Table 4.8 Aeolian Islands, phases of occupation..........................................................106
Table 4.9 Maltese chronology.........................................................................................111
Table 4.10 Radiocarbon dates from the Dalmatian islands.......................................120
Table 5.1 Aegean chronology..........................................................................................125
Table 5.2 Ionian islands, earliest colonisation data.....................................................126
Table 5.3 Southwest Aegean islands, earliest colonisation data.................................128
Table 5.4 The Cyclades, earliest colonisation data......................................................131
Table 5.5 Southeast Aegean islands, earliest colonisation data..................................133
Table 5.6 Northeast Aegean islands, earliest colonisation data.................................135
Table 5.7 Northern Sporadhes, earliest colonisation data..........................................135
Table 5.8 Chronological scheme for early prehistoric Cyprus..................................140
Table 6.1 Western Mediterranean islands: geographical and earliest
colonisation data..........................................................................................................147
Table 6.2 Eastern Mediterranean islands: geographical and earliest
colonisation data..................................................................................................148–149
Table 6.3 Western Mediterranean islands: biogeographical characteristics............167
Table 6.4 Eastern Mediterranean islands: biogeographical characteristics.....168–169
Table 8.1 Geographical characteristics and population estimates
for sample islands.........................................................................................................212
Table 8.2 Political status of Melos through time.........................................................218
Table 8.3 Kea chronology.......................................................................................220–221
Table 8.4 Patterns of occupation for the entire island sample..........................248–249
Table 8.5 Phases of prehistoric and historic occupation and abandonment...........251
Table 8.6 The effect of resources on abandonment: obsidian islands......................254
Table 8.7 The effect of island size on abandonment: islands smaller
than 10 sq km...............................................................................................................254
Table 8.8 The effect of distance on abandonment: islands with distance
to nearest mainland (NM) ≤ 50 km..........................................................................256
Table 8.9 The effect of distance on abandonment: islands with distance
to nearest mainland (NM ) > 50 km.........................................................................257