artikelen

Once owned by L. Cominius, Victor and Alexander. Connections through the Roman army mapped out by graffiti
Marenne Zandstra

The high mobility of the Roman army created many connections, from one corner of the Empire to the other, from the centre to the periphery and vice versa. Many of these connections are underrepresented in the traditionally consulted sources, which are the historical sources and monumental inscriptions. A study of graffiti, consisting of owners’ marks scratched mostly onto pottery, can shed more light on the composition and deployment of the Roman army. In this article, three graffiti from Dutch sites on the Lower Rhine limes are presented. They can tell us more about the legionnaires, auxiliaries and soldiers serving in the fleet who came from the Mediterranean to the northern borders of the Empire.
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The connectivity between cities in Roman Asia Minor
Rinse Willet

This paper describes the urban patterns of Asia Minor in the Roman Imperial period, which saw marked regional variation. The west and southwest were densely occupied with cities, but the centre and northern parts of the region were relatively empty. Furthermore, the urban hierarchies of these regions show distinctiveness, whereas the largest cities situated in the west and a few in the centre and east, while Lycia and Pamphylia are densely settled with cities, which are more egalitarian in size. Although some scholars claim that the urban hierarchy is a product of the economic integration of the cities, this is not undisputed. Nevertheless, the connection between cities can be a valuable object of study. In this article the example of tableware is used to attest the complexity of these connections over time and space. Despite the fact that economic connectivity, as partially reflected by the small finds, is important, it must be remembered that other forms of official and less official links between the cities existed, such as the assizes. Furthermore, this does not negate the fact that most cities were at their core autarkic in character, but that the interaction between connectivity, political and socio-economic changes and structural factors of climate and landscape, caused the diversity and complexity in the pattern of urbanization.
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Commercial contacts in the Sahel region during the Punic period: the case of Uzita
Andrea Perugini & Karen Ryckbosch

Our present study focuses on the amphora repertoire of the earliest phases of occupation at Uzita, a small town in the North- African Punic heartland, which is best known for its mosaics dated to the Roman period. We pay particular attention to local and regional fabrics as well as the provenance of imported amphorae, employing a combination of morphological and fabric analyses. The aim of our research is to define the commercial relations involving the Central Tunisian Sahel and, in particular, the role played by Uzita in this network during the period of Carthaginian control over the region.
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A globalization perspective on Latin colonization
Marleen Termeer

In this article, I argue that a globalization perspective helps to create a better understanding of Latin colonies, and more specifically their role in processes of cultural change. A globalization perspective invites to investigate the various connections that influenced local developments in the colonies (including those coming from Rome), while at the same time it offers models to conceptualize how these ‘foreign’ influences may have been adapted and accommodated at a local level. The advantages of such a perspective are illustrated by a brief discussion of colonial coinage production (specifically the struck bronze produced by colonies and other mints in and around Campania during the First Punic War) and votive assemblages in the colonies.
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Greater than the sum of its parts? Italo-Aegean network dynamics in Achaia and the Argolid during the Bronze Age-Iron Age transition (ca. 1250-1000 BC)
Kimberley van den Berg

This paper presents a comparison of the evidence for Italo-Aegean relations between Achaia and the Argolid during the Bronze Age-Iron Age transition. Drawing on network theory, it seeks to explain how these areas remained connected with Italy during the twelfth century BC crisis. To this aim, a multi-scalar analysis is conducted of the so-called ‘Urnfield’ bronzes. First, the diachronic and spatial distribution of these bronzes is examined for each region in order to obtain a general picture of network dynamics and to identify regional hubs. Second, selected contexts are analyzed as a means to consider the dynamics and hubs at the local level. Third, the local and regional scales are confronted as a means to fully reconstruct Italo-Aegean networks. The analysis indicates that despite some generic points of convergence at the regional scale, network communities in Achaia and the Argolid had their local strategies for remaining connected with Italy.
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Lady Moon on the Oxus. Bactrian Ai Khanum as a case for ancient globalization
Milinda Hoo

This article aims to reassess the material culture of Ai Khanum (‘Lady Moon’ in Uzbek) in north-east Afghanistan. At present, this city is the only monumental archaeological site of Hellenistic-period Bactria. Its material culture displays typical Greek features, alongside and seemingly blended with Mesopotamian, Iranian, and Central Asian elements. Many scholars have emphasized the Greek features and subsequently the (colonial) Greek character of the city, which were prioritized over other cultural elements and treated as clear testimony to the presence of ethnic Greek settlers. Conversely, this paper reconsiders Ai Khanum’s persisting status as a ‘Greek city in Central Asia’ by questioning previous theoretical approaches dealing with hybrid material culture. Globalization theory is used as a heuristic framework to further problematize the material and to explore how Ai Khanum’s cultural features might be seen from a wider angle.
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Crossroads at Gandhara: cultural interaction between the Mediterranean world and the Indus Valley
Marike van Aerde

This article presents a case study from the archaeological record of the city of Taxila (current Pakistan) in order to examine cultural interactions between the ancient Mediterranean and Indus Valley as evident from the Gandhara region. Taxila was a cultural crossroad between East and West and is especially famous for its Greco-Buddhist artefacts. These objects have traditionally been categorised in ethnic and/or cultural terms, which has led to incorrect interpretations of the archaeological record and its historical implications. For this reason, this study works towards a more comprehensive insight into the available archaeological data by means of new object analyses with the aim to contribute to a better understanding of how cultural diversity developed in the ancient world on a global scale through processes of cultural contact and interaction.
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recensies

Social Networks and Regional Identity in Bronze Age Italy
Wieke de Neef
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Van Rome naar Romeins
Berber van der Meulen
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Shipsheds of the Ancient Mediterranean
Yftinus van Popta
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introducties op lopend onderzoek

The Avellino Event: cultural and demographic effects of the great Bronze Age eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Peter Attema, Martijn van Leusen, Mike Field, Luca Alessandri, Marieke Doorenbosch & Wouter van Gorp
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Ayios Vasilios: een survey van de paleisnederzetting
Corien Wiersma
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The emergence of Central Italian urbanisation and special activity sites along the Etruscan coast between the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age
Maria Rosaria Cinquegrana
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From Pickaxe to Pixel: een pilotproject voor de toepassing van 3D-leeromgevingen in de opleiding archeologie
Jorn Seubers
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Keizers en Decurionen. Verspreiding en acceptatie van keizerlijke macht, ideologie, cultuur en mentaliteit in Romeins Italië (27 voor Christus – 68 na Christus)
Tjark Blokzijl
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From mater and pater familias to social standings. Transformations in gendered identities in Italy between the ninth to sixth century BC
Ilona Venderbos
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