Economy and Cultural Contact in the Mediterranean Iron Age

Many times in human history, the search for new markets has been a key driver for
cultural exchange. Analyzing the economic connections within the ancient world
provides a propitious basis from which to examine intercultural connections. The
Iron Age, especially, was a period of increasing interconnection between different
cultures in the Mediterranean, offering up a gripping chance to study an emerging
economic and cultural system. But where did these new routes pass, such that the
people were able to move themselves and commodities forward? How did growing demands
on foreign markets influence production patterns and social structures within local
communities ? How did local customs respond to foreign commodities, and how did
these imports mold local cultures ? This volume comprises a collection of papers
focusing on the 8th¿6th centuries BC. Long object biographies are carefully
reconstructed and analyzed using up-to-date methodologies, thus offering answers to
questions about production modes, trade routes, and consumption patterns. Discussing
resources, commodities, and the reception of foreign products, this volume gives new
details and insights to advance our understanding of the role played by the economy
in cultural contacts.