Orientalia in the Aegean: Dynamics, Response and Impact in the Bronze and Early Iron Ages

This thesis examines the consumption and reception of two connected bodies of material culture from the Bronze and Early Iron Age Aegean: 'orientalia' (imports to the Aegean from the Levant, Cyprus, Egypt, Anatolia and Mesopotamia) and 'orientalising' artefacts (locally produced, but demonstrating the impact of the Near East in material, technique, style or iconography). Research questions addressed are the localised patterns of consumption of orientalia across this period; broader patterns of connectivity between regions of the Aegean and Near East; how imported goods and foreign connections were responded to in terms of processes of orientalisation; and the impact of and implications for Aegean socio-political structures. The historical background to the Bronze and Early Iron Age Aegean is outlined, focusing on socio-political structure and the character of elites in each period. Previous scholarship is discussed, including historiographical background and perceived gaps in research. The theoretical framework for the thesis is presented, outlining three levels of analysis: worldsystems, regional and local, and artefact category. The data for the thesis and the methods used to analyse it are discussed. Chronological and regional analysis of the consumption of orientalia in the Aegean is presented. A broader chapter moves between site- and regional-levels of analysis to draw conclusions about the consumption patterns of orientalia in the context of local socio-political structures, and how this impacted on embeddedness in world-systems level patterns of connectivity. The significance of the 'orie!1talness' of orientalia is discussed. Three case studies of orientalisation are presented: faience and glass technologies; the role of stone and bronze artefacts in value regimes; and figured ivories. A broader chapter takes a diachronic perspective of processes of orientalisation, the significance of 'orientalness', and the impact of Aegean socio-political structures on the adoption and adaptation of Near Eastern materials, technologies, styles and iconographies in the Aegean. The thesis concludes with consideration of the consumption, reception and impact of orientalia during two periods of state formation in the Aegean.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo