Mediterranean Archaeology: Connections, Interactions, Objects, and Theory

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Mediterranean Archaeology: Connections, Interactions, Objects, and Theory," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

People are connected to each other through social and economic interactions, their possessions, the landscapes in which they live, and their social, cultural, and ideological identities. How do we as archaeologists study these connections to understand the human experience? This session brings together archaeologists working in the Mediterranean region to discuss how we study these different kinds of connections through material remains from the Paleolithic through the modern period. With a focus on material remains, this session includes the presentation of new theoretical models, the deconstruction of grand narratives in history, and the introduction of novel methodologies for understanding the close ties and far-reaching connections that people make. We are particularly keen to discuss the ways in which our work intersects, and as such have organized this session with two question and answer periods to foster conversation between presenters and among the members of the audience.