Identity and Change: Archaeological Interaction across Archipelagos, Inland Seas, and Oceans

This symposium examines the emergence, dynamics and change of island societies, linked together in wider coastal and island worlds. Papers address the archaeological evidence for interactions between different communities over time and explore the nature and significance of interactions that emerge as distinct island identities.The symposium seeks to address the changes that take place in islands over long timescales notably between prehistoric and globalised historical societies, taking examples from the central Mediterranean, and regions bordering the Atlantic. In many cases, striking new data from recent fieldwork are brought to bear, including isotopes, trade characterisation and environmental data. The symposium has deliberately taken examples from seas with different degrees of closure, and where contrasts between early and later maritime technologies can be compared. A key theme of the symposium is the broader political context of island societies and how island communities respond to changing conditions as measured in environmental impact and local development.