Networks of Social Stability in the Mediterranean Bronze Age

Summary

Certain social systems do not become more complex. They remain stable for considerable periods of time despite constant environmental and cultural change, a fact that remains a puzzle in archaeology. Research by Iberian archaeologists indicates that the Valencian Bronze Age in Mediterranean Spain may be such a case where material homogeneity represents a social system lasting with little change for nearly 700 years (BC 2200-1500). This trend stands in stark contrast to the complex social changes noted for its southern, contemporaneous neighboring region—the Argaric. Moreover, several archaeologists have proposed that the types and scales of social networks that a society exhibits have a profound influence on changes in social complexity. Thus, this study presents the preliminary results of the use of Network Science to explore both spatial and social explanatory mechanisms for the apparent social stability of the Valencian Bronze Age.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Human-Environmental Interactions in the Mediterranean Basin

Keywords

Spatial Coverage