Trade as a Social Activity: Eastern Sigillata and Its Near Eastern Emulation

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Archaeology of Trade and Exchange" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

It has been plainly demonstrated that market systems are socially embedded, a quality that fosters the movement of information, commodities, and people. Before the industrial period, long-distance trade required the presence of commercial agents at both the distribution centers and at the destinations for sale. The kin-based structure of merchant communities would facilitate the spread of information about the local taste and the local demand for foreign commodities. In case it is inconvenient to import the commodity through trade, local entrepreneurs may find other ways to fulfill the cosmopolitan desire for stylish objects. Despite the natural barrier between Mesopotamia and the Levant, the material culture attests to a strong connectivity between the Roman Syria and Arsacid Seleucia on the Tigris. The striking similarities in the production method and forms of the Syrian Eastern Sigillata tableware and the Seleucian red-burnished ware indicate a close social interaction in the realm of exchange beyond the paradigm of disconnected producer vs. consumer. This interaction provided the ground for both cultural and technological dialogue between diverse groups while allowing opportunity for local innovation. Using fabric and typological analysis, this study aims to demonstrate that trade as a social activity moves beyond the existing cultural-political boundaries.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology of Trade and Exchange   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32273