The Economics behind Pottery: The Impact of Romanization on Castro Culture Ceramics in the Littoral Northwest

Summary

Through a comparative analysis of ceramic materials from several archaeological sites including the Cividade de Bagunte, this paper explores the effects of Romanization on the fields of production and consumption belonging to the Castro Culture of northwest Iberia. These sites were chosen because the archaeological materials uncovered reflect differences in social, political, and economic organization from the Iron Age to the Roman period. Further, the proximity of these sites to one another would have been ideal for trade and communication. By analyzing ceramic assemblages, it is possible to determine the types of activities that dominated a settlement’s economy, such as vessels used for storing or transporting agricultural products, or ceramic objects used in craft production such as loom weights and spindle whorls. Drawing from behavioral economics, this research will investigate how colonial interactions and economic restructuring brought on by Roman conquest led to the adaptation, adoption, or abandonment of certain ceramic forms. This presentation focuses on how the implementation of Roman standards of trade and commerce influenced the production and use of certain ceramic forms and led to separate but connected economies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20122