Browsing by Subject "seafaring"
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Item Etruscan Amphorae and Trade in the Western Mediterranean, 800-400 B.C.E.(2010-01-16) Daniel, Joshua A.The Etruscans dominated central Italy from the eighth to the fifth centuries B.C.E. Within this time, they maintained both direct and indirect trade networks with other cultures. There are two categories of evidence that demonstrate the nature of Etruscan relationships with the other inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin: ancient written sources and archaeological data. The objective of this thesis is to produce a new study on the nature of Etruscan trade, commerce, and seafaring from the eighth to the fifth centuries B.C.E. based on recent underwater discoveries that have not yet been evaluated against existing theories. The ancient written sources for Etruscan seafaring can be divided into two distinct thematic groups. These include Etruscan piracy and commerce. The archaeological evidence for Etruscan commodities consists of eleven shipwrecks found off the coasts of France and Italy, the excavation of three ports on the western coast of Italy, tomb paintings, and clay ship models. Materials from the shipwrecks include amphorae, or two-handled clay storage jars, and associated pottery, which together comprise the basis of this study. In a final section, previous research on the subject of Etruscan seafaring, commerce, and piracy will be re-evaluated in light of recent discoveries.Item Foreign Influences and Consequences on the Nuragic Culture of Sardinia(2010-07-14) Choltco, Margaret E.Although it is accepted that Phoenician colonization occurred on Sardinia by the 9th century B.C., it is possible that contact between Sardinia?s indigenous population and the Levantine region occurred in the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Eastern LBA goods found on the island are copper oxhide ingots and Aegean pottery. Previously, it has been suggested that Mycenaeans were responsible for bringing the eastern goods to Sardinia, but the presence of Aegean pottery shards does not confirm the presence of Mycenaean tradesmen. Also, scholars of LBA trade have explained the paucity of evidence for a Mycenaean merchant fleet. Interpretations of two LBA shipwrecks, Cape Gelidonya and Uluburun, indicate that eastern Mediterranean merchants of Cypriot or Syro-Canaanite origin, transported large quantities of oxhide ingots from the Levant towards the west. It remains possible that similar itinerant merchants conducted ventures bringing eastern goods to Sardinia while exploring the western Mediterranean. Trade in eastern goods may have stimulated the advancement that occurred in Nuragic culture in the LBA, resulting in the emergence of an elite social stratum in the Nuragic society. Archaeological evidence, such as elitist burials and increasingly complex architecture, supports the idea of cultural change due to internal competition. This ?peer-polity? effect may have been incited because of limited accessibility to the exotic eastern goods and the ?ownership? to the rights of this exchange.