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THEME 5Times of Change:

Collapse and Transformative Impulses

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HEME 5: TIMES OF CHANGE: COLLAPSE AND TRANSFORMATIVE IMPULSES

Change is a topic of great concern to archaeological research. It is evident that transformative impulses come from a diversity of directions, including the environment and especially, social institutions and sociocultural relations. Whether it is the formation of new socio-economic conditions, ideologies, subsistence regimes, tech-nologies, migrations or the collapse and rise of new political entities, transitions have found increased voice and attention. Traditional site-specific excavations have been greatly enhanced by embedding the research into regional studies of the hinterlands of central settlements. Furthermore, the development of instrumental analyses has elevated artifactual and eco-factual data to inform upon these transformations. Special attention now given to significant new understandings of chronology stemming from recent research, reassessments of stratigraphy and the proliferation of environmental information has provided context to the fluid and dynamic social conditions at work through time.

This session invites papers on change, trasnsformation and the impact with which new structures were subse-quently formed.

T05S001 - RE-ASSESSING URBANISM IN PRE-ROMAN EUROPEOrganizers: John Chapman (Durham University Department of Archaeology, Durham), Johannes Mller (Kiel University, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel), Mikhail Videiko (Institute of Archaeology, Kyiv), Bisserka Gaydarska (Durham University Department of Archaeology, Durham), Marco Nebbia (Durham University Department of Archaeology, Durham), Robert Hofmann (Kiel University, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel)

Since Gordon Childe, the Big Narratives of prehistory have included the origins of urbanism, whether in the Near East

and Anatolia, Europe and worldwide. However, the scale of this topic has been antithetical to most post-processualist

approaches, leaving a theoretical vacuum at the heart of the debate over urban origins. Recent research on Big Weird

Sites (Cahokia, Greater Zimbabwe, Angkor Wat, etc.: SAA 2013 session) has begun to create a framework for the study

of settlements which are far larger, and possibly far more complex, than their coeval sites. From the traditional Aegean

European perspective, urban origins lie in the 3rd millennium BC, exemplified by Early Bronze Age centres such as Troy and

Knossos. But this view ignores a set of large settlements from the late 5th and 4th millennia BC in the Tripillia (aka Tripolye)

group of modern Ukraine and Moldova. A group of over 30 of the so-called Tripillia mega-sites cover areas of over 100 ha,

while the largest (Talljanky, at 340ha) is as large as large EBA Near Eastern city at Uruk. These are the largest settlements

in 4th millennium Europe. It is now time to include these mega-sites in a discussion of scale and settlement nucleation in

prehistoric Eurasia and discuss how such massive agglomerations may have functioned. The principal aims of this session

are twofold: (1) to assess the role of the Tripillia mega-sites in the debate over urban origins; and (2) to set the mega-sites

in a comparative framework of urban origins in Europe and the Aegean. Prospective speakers in this session are invited to

address the research issues of early developments towards urbanism in the following cultural contexts: - Tripillia mega-

sites - The earliest urban settlements in Anatolia and the Near East. - Minoan and Mycenean urban formations. - Bronze

Age mega-sites in temperate Europe (e.g., Corneti). - Late Bronze Age and Iron Age urban sites around the Mediterranean

- Temperate European Iron Age oppida.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

IntroductionJohn Chapman (Durham University Department of Archaeology, Durham), Johannes Mller (Kiel University, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel), Mikhail Videiko (Institute of Archaeology, Kyiv)

Since Gordon Childe, the Big Narratives of prehistory have included the origins of urbanism, whether in the Near East

and Anatolia, Europe and worldwide. However, the scale of this topic has been antithetical to most post-processualist

approaches, leaving a theoretical vacuum at the heart of the debate over urban origins. Recent research on Big Weird

Sites (Cahokia, Greater Zimbabwe, Angkor Wat, etc.: SAA 2013 session) has begun to create a framework for the study of

settlements which are far larger, and apparently far more complex, than their coeval sites. From the traditional Aegean

European perspective, urban origins lie in the 3rd millennium BC, exemplified by Early Bronze Age centres such as Troy and

Knossos. But this view ignores a set of large settlements from the late 5th and 4th millennia BC in the Trypillia (aka Tripolye) group of modern Ukraine and Moldova. A group of over 30 of the so-called cover areas of over 100 ha, while the largest

(Talljanky, at 340ha) is as large as large EBA Near Eastern city at Uruk. These are the largest settlements in 4th millennium

Europe. It is now time to include these mega-sites in a discussion of scale and settlement nucleation in prehistoric Eurasia

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and discuss how such massive agglomerations may have functioned. The principal aims of this session are twofold: (1) to

assess the place of the Trypillia mega-sites in the debate over urban origins; and (2) to set the mega-sites in a comparative

framework of urban origins in Europe and the Aegean.

A Ghost is Still Haunting Europe: The Neolithic Proto-CitiesBisserka Gaydarska (Durham University Department of Archaeology, Durham)More than 10 years ago, the late Dan Monah published a paper with a very similar title to the above, in which he argued against Trypillia mega-sites being seen as Neolithic proto-cities. Not only have his arguments not been appreciated but recent years have seen an explosion of towns and cities, emerging on the prehistoric map of (Eastern) Europe like mushrooms after rain. Is urbanism fashionable yet again? Has post-processual relativism affected the way that settlements are seen? Or are we really faced with a previously unrecognized phenomenon? In this paper, I shall try to address these questions by exploring the evidence of the Trypillia mega-sites. The pros and cons for naming these sites as proto-cities will be critically assessed within a wide framework of concepts, including Childes criteria for urban settlements, low-density urbanism and Fletchers view of global settlement development.

Interpreting Trypillia Culture Mega-Sites: Old and New Data on the Processes of Urbanization in Copper Age EuropeMikhail Videiko (Institute of Archaeology, Kyiv)The interpretation of the large area (up to 350 ha) of settlements of the Tripyllia culture became a problem after the discovery of several such sites through aerial photography and geomagnetic survey in the 1970s. It was suggested that these sites represented the proto city type of settlement. Evidence of the processes of urbanization in the Carpathian- Dnieper region included such features as large settlements with high populations, complex planning structures, defensive systems and unusually large, probably public buildings. Also some kinds of craft working (pottery production, metallurgy and flint processing) were detected. In the last ten years research, geomagnetic prospection and new excavations allowed the specification of the size and density of settlements, which were characterized by an even greater number of inhabitants than was previously assumed. It turned out that the planning structure of the mega-sites was even more complex than previously imagined. We also found a system of large -scale public buildings and fortifications. Excavations confirmed the presence of temples and pottery kilns, allowing us to speak about the complex processes of the formation of proto-cities.

Three Decades of Large-scale Prospection on Moldavian and Ukrainian Copper Age SettlementsKnut Rassmann (Rmisch-Germanisch Kommission, Frankfurt am Main), Vladimir Kruts, Aleksey Korvin-Piotrovskij, Karsten Mischka, Johannes Mller (Kiel University, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel), Mikhail Videiko (Institute of Archaeology, Kyiv)Almost unnoticed in the West, in the early 1970s Ukrainian archaeologists developed an innovative research design to investigate the large Copper Age settlements of the Tripolye-Cucuteni Culture. The combination of aerial photography and large-scale geomagnetic prospection allowed the detection of these settlements fundamental structures. The large number of excavations which followed was consequently principally based on and guided by these data, particularly in terms of the highly visible (and characteristic) burnt houses. In 2007, CAU Kiel and the Romano-Germanic Commission started an ambitious prospection program intended to investigate Copper Age settlements on a broader scale. This large-scale prospection in Moldavia and Ukraine revealed the settlement structures of Chalcolithic communities which were amazing, both in terms of the precision of the results and number of details they provided. The new data were used to evaluate former prospection and confirmed key issues about the basic layouts of the settlements that were studied.

Stabilization Points in Carrying Capacity of the Cucuteni-Tripolye Populations: Re-assessing the Formation and Development of the Giant-SettlementsAleksandr Diachenko (Institute of Archaeology, NAS, Kyiv), Ezra B.W. Zubrow (SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo)Settlements of the Cucuteni-Tripolye cultural complex (ca. 4800 2900 calBC) provide an excellent dataset for the analysis of long-term demographic and socio-economic development of these prehistoric populations. Micro-regional and super-regional studies are made possible by the large territory that extends from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains to the Eastern bank of Dnieper and by the many short-term occupations accompanied with well-developed relative chronologies. Our presentation focuses on both the stabilization points in the carrying capacity of the Cucuteni-Tripolye populations and the resulting stabilization of the occupations. Special attention is paid to the giant-settlements in the Southern Bug - Dnieper interfluve. The paper uses simulations based upon well-known mathematical approaches in theoretical ecology.

The results are two significant changes in the carrying capacity of the populations and the consequent values for regional

carrying capacity in the Southern Bug - Dnieper interfluve, as well as new stabilization points for the population growth.

The result is a substantive re-assessment of the formation and development of the giant-settlements. Secondly, the paper

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points out the implications regarding the improvement of mathematical approaches to demography.

Proto-towns or not Proto-towns?: That is the Question!Francesco Menotti (University of Basel, Basel), Aleksandr Diachenko (Institute of Archaeology, NAS, Kyiv)At the time of their development, the Chalcolithic Cucuteni-Tripolye giant-settlements (also known as mega-sites) were the largest residential agglomerates in Europe and beyond. It is therefore not surprising that their sheer size has been triggering incandescent discussions as to whether they should be considered as proto-towns, or simply settlements. The concept of Tripolye [Trypillia] proto-towns is by no means new; it was firstly advanced by N.M. Shmaglij in the early 1970s, continued throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and it has even recently been re-vitalised (e.g. M. Yu. Videiko and N. B. Burdo). It should be noted, however, that arguments in favour of the urbanization process in Cucuteni-Tripolye residential complexes have also been criticized throughout the above-mentioned period (see V.A. Kruts, V.M. Masson, E.A. Saiko and A.G. Korvin-Piotrovskiy). This paper discusses a series of issues in order to help the delegate understand whether the Tripolye mega-sites should (or should not) be regarded as proto-towns. For instance; what is meant by a (giant)-settlement? What are the characteristics that allow a residential unit to qualify as a proto-town? And, last but not least, do we have any other evidence that confirms similar urbanization processes in Chalcolithic Ukraine, or in the nearby regions?

Recent Studies in TaliankiVolodimir Kruts (Institute of Archaeology, NAS, Kyiv)Talianki is the largest settlement of the Tripolje culture. It has been studied since 1981. Remains of about 50 dwellings were excavated along this period. This led to the reconstruction of the interior and exterior of the Tripolye house as well as the socio-economic reconstructions of their social structure. New site features were investigated recently, following geo-magnetic surveys conducted by the Rmisch-Germanische Kommission. Kilns associated with ceramic production were excavated in 2013. This led to the conclusion about ceramic craft production that had only previously been assumed. Besides this, surveys in the Southern part of a settlement found three objects that are small in size but with abnormally strong magnetic anomalies. These objects should be excavated prior to the EAA Meeting. They may have been associated with metallurgical production.

Maidanets a Tripolje Megasite on the MoveRobert Hofmann (Kiel University, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel), Nataliia Burdo (Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv), Walter Drfler (University of Kiel, Kiel), Stefan Dreibrodt (University of Kiel, Kiel), Wiebke Kirleis (Graduate School Human Development in Landscapes, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel), Karsten Mischka, Johannes Mller (Kiel University, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel), Ren Ohlrau (Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel), Knut Rassmann (Roman-German Commission, Frankfurt), Mikhail Videiko (Institute of Archaeology, Kyiv)Surveys and excavations in the last two years opened again the huge archive of the Maidanets mega-site for extensive studies on social demography, economy, and political and cultural changes. The fieldwork resulted, on the one hand, in a clear picture of different feature types, while, on the other hand, in models of intra-site interactions during prehistoric times. The reconstruction of the Neolithic landscape and the organization of social space are indicating a society which is deeply rooted in the exploitation of natural and human resources. A series of 14C dates provides a new base to test hypotheses concerning the dating, development and duration of the site. Overall, this ongoing research will contribute to a much better understanding of the nature of the mega-site as well as of the possible causes for their formation and downfall. In relation to soil formation processes, it can be discussed whether the carrying capacity of the local environment was reached or the collapse of this mega-site was linked to water or other shortages.

The Landscape of the Tripolje Mega-Sites: Preliminary Results from Nebelivka Hinterland, UkraineMarco Nebbia (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham)The study of urban sites has been tackled in many different ways, but mainly by concentrating on research at the site level, looking at their structure, planning and development. Recently, research has started to focus on formation processes, re-focusing the investigation towards the broader contexts in which Big-Sites are located. The aim is a better and more complete understanding of urban origins as complex systems of different processes which have led to Big-Site formation. The case of the Trypillia group offers an excellent opportunity to investigate the phenomenon in which over 30 mega-sites (each covering more than 100 ha) developed in the late 5th and 4th millennia BC in modern Ukraine and Moldova. This paper will present results from the study of one of these sites (Nebelivka, UA) where, along with the research on the site itself, a systematic off-site analysis of satellite images and fieldwalking is being carried out in order to establish the formation and development of the settlement pattern. The use of remote sensing combined with fieldwalking has resulted in the detection and identification of a variety of archaeological sites and environmental features, which is helping to build

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up a more complete picture of the Tripillia mega-site phenomenon.

Settlement Planning at the Trypillia Mega-Site of Nebelivka Improvisation and AdaptationJohn Chapman (Durham University Department of Archaeology, Durham)Recent research by British, Ukrainian and German teams have used modern geophysical techniques to achieve what we have termed the second phase of the Trypillia mega-site Methodological Revolution. A prime example is the research of Durham University geophysicists under the aegis of the joint Anglo - Ukrainian Project Early urbanism in prehistoric Europe: The case of the Trypillia mega-sites to produce the first complete modern mega-site plan. Many types of new features have been discovered at the 250-hectare site of Nebelivka., as well as a wide range of new feature combinations. In this paper, I use some insights from performance theory and ideas about the maintenance of tradition to explore the ways in which people developed the three spatial levels of the mega-site plan the individual household (both burnt and unburnt structures), the neighbourhood level (or feature combinations) and the community level (or complete plan), as well as the ways in which people responded to the opportunities and constraints provided by each level in tension with the other two levels. This deconstruction of mega-site planning in the Trypillia B2 phase offers some interesting insights into the social order at Nebelivka.

From One Mega-Site to Another : A Comparative Look at Trypillia Mega-Sites and Neolithic atalhyk n AnatoliaLindsay Der (Stanford University, Department of Anthropology, Stanford), Justine Issavi (Stanford University, Department of Anthropology, Stanford)

This paper considers similarities and differences in the trajectories between Trypillia mega-sites in Eastern Europe and that of the Neolithic mega-site of atalhyk in Anatolia. At 33 hectares, with 18 levels of Neolithic occupation spanning 1,200 years, and peaking at around 8,000 inhabitants, atalhyk is considered to be an important source of evidence regarding the transition from settled villages to urban agglomeration. While these mega-sites are spatially and temporally separated, there are a number of startling parallels between them. Thus, a comparative look at different types of mega-sites and their rise and fall has the potential to elucidate new insights into broader questions concerning highly populated permanent settlements in the prehistoric and contemporary concepts of urbanism. Within this comparative framework, we consider paths of growth and decline, social organization, and settlement structure for these mega-sites, with a specific focus on areas where stark parallels exist such as iconography and the changing role of the house throughout site occupation.

Large Settlements of the Late Neolithic Central and Northern Balkans: Current Evidence and PerspectivesBoban Tripkovi (University of Beograd, Department of Archaeology, Belgrade)In recent decades, research on Neolithic settlements of the Central and Northern Balkans has gradually transformed from an initial highly targeted focus on stratigraphy and development of tell sites to the current intensive surveys and excavations of large flat sites. It is known from previous research that some Vina culture sites covered several hectares; however, their apparent size was usually seen as a result of the shifting of the settlement through time, or simply a consequence of modern-day disturbances, such as the dispersal of archaeological material due to agricultural activities. Through the use of geophysical methods in archaeological prospection, however, it has been confirmed that many of the large sites did indeed occupy surfaces of 10 or more hectares. Moreover, it has been revealed that some settlements were surrounded by ditches, and that the layout of buildings was planned and organized in a way that indicates some form of communal order. These settlements flourished in various parts of the Central and Northern Balkans in the period from the mid-6th to the mid-5th millennium BC. This paper summarizes the information available so far on these large Vina culture settlements, and discusses the socio-economic context in which they appeared and developed.

Mega-Sites of the Michelsberg Culture in West-Central GermanyDetlef Gronenborn (Rmisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz), Sandra Fetsch (Rmisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz), Sabine Kuhlmann (Vor- und Frhgeschichtliche Archologie, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universitt, Mainz)

During the Michelsberg culture, approximately around 4000 cal BC, a number of sites with sizes of up to 100 ha, with occasionally enormous fortifications, appeared in the Neuwied Basin (Urmitz) and the Rhine-Main confluence area (Schierstein, Kapellenberg, Glauberg). Most of these sites have been extensively destroyed before any modern archaeological investigation and thus remain very difficult to interpret. However, the Kapellenberg is well preserved, with ditches and banks still visible. It may thus serve as a blueprint for interpreting these Late Neolithic mega-sites. Current investigations at the Kapellenberg indicate large-scale interior occupation layers and a complicated architectural history of the defence system. However, it is entirely unclear whether these sites were occupied continuously or only for certain periods. There are also indications of sudden abandonment. Michelsberg mega-sites may thus represent a curious byway

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along the road to urbanism.

Urban Scale and Dynamics in the Northern Fertile Crescent: 4000 BC-1000 ADDan Lawrence (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham), Tony J. Wilkinson (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham), Graham Philip (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham), Hannah Hunt (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham)In the Middle East, most cities before about 1000 BC were of relatively modest size, usually much less than 400 hectares, with those in the rain-fed zone attaining a maximum of 120 ha. In contrast to the modest scale of these Bronze Age Middle Eastern cities, those of Mesoamerica and South Asia are manifestly vast, constituting what has become known as low density agrarian-based urbanism (Fletcher 2004, 2012). However, whereas low density urbanism appears less significant in the Middle East than South Asia, later cities were extremely extensive in area. Fletcher (2004) argues that the relationship between city size and longevity implies the existence of an operational ceiling such that the larger the size of the city, the shorter the lifespan. A similar generalization holds for the compact cities of northern Syria and Iraq as far south as early Islamic Samarra, located just beyond the limit of rain-fed cultivation. This paper draws on the database of the Fragile Crescent Project for the northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia to test the above model of city size and duration. We then explore this relationship in relation to long-term population trends, food supply, social factors, the scale of the political economy and sustainability.

The Beginning of Urbanisation in the Eastern Aegean: Economic Models and ArchaeologyArne Windler (Institute of Archaeological Science, Bochum)Over the course of time, urban centres had and still have a dynamic development. An understanding of the process of urbanisation requires a consideration of economic forces. The failure of older approaches, such as Central Place theory, to explain this process led Paul Krugman to solve this problem in the 1990s with the development of the so-called New Economic Geography. This approach focuses on decreasing transportation costs and a highly specialised sector as the forces leading towards urbanisation. To connect the economic model to the archaeological record, both quantitative and qualitative approaches have to be taken into consideration. In a case study, this theory is applied to the Eastern Aegean Sea during the third Millennium B.C. The invention of scales, weights and a metrical standard reduced transaction costs drastically over a wide area. The development of specialised production and urbanisation is exemplified by Poliochni on Lemnos, where a centre for textile production emerged, as well as by the Lower City of Troy. Furthermore the regional settlement distribution could be successfully simulated using this economic theory. The NEG explains the rise of urban centres, and the theory can be used to compare early urbanisation in the Eastern Aegean and the Trypillia area, owing to changes in transportation facilities.

Size doesnt Matter: Selimpaa, atalca, Kanlgeit, Mikhalich and the Sudden Lifting of Complexity in Early Bronze Age Southeast EuropeVolker Heyd (Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Bristol, Bristol), engl Aydngn (Ko-caeli University, Kocaeli), Emre Gldoan (Istanbul University, Istanbul)While the first half of the third millennium BCE in most of South Eastern Europe is still characterised by comparatively medium levels of socio-economic complexity and the dominance of pastoral tribes of North Pontic origin, the period of 2500-2000 BCE sees an explosion in complexity and the inclusion within this contact zone of modern Turkish Thrace and southeastern Bulgaria in a wider network, now dominated by trade, colonies, urbanism and new forms of prestige/status expressions. The most puzzling element in this newly emerging picture are complex settlement sites consisting of strongly defended citadels of c.0,4ha and outer settlements of c.4ha. Best examples are the Selimpaa Hyk at the Marmara Sea, and Kanlgeit and Mikhalich in inland Thrace. The site of stanbul-atalca may also be implicated. Although thus moderate in size, they represent a form of central place that can only be regarded as foreign in a regional environment dominated by tell settlements, wattle-and-daub architecture and hand-made dark burnished pottery. Kanlgeit in particular stands out as being a smaller copy of Troy IIc, even showing matching architectural details and ritual features. Does this speak in favour of the presence of Anatolian/eastern Aegean foreigners, trade emporia and even colonies in Europe, or the early transfer of an Anatolian urban model to Europe?

Size and Complexity in Terramare Polities in the Po Plain: An Obia Object/Pattern/Scenery-Oriented Approach to Detecting the Rule-Sets of Landscapes of PowerArmando De Guio (University of Padova, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Padova), Claudio Balista (Geoarcheologi Associati sas, Padova), Andrea Betto (University of Padova, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Padova), Claudio Bovolato (University of Padova, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Padova), Luigi Magnini (Freeland Archaeologist, Padova)During its 30-year international cooperation, our AMPBV (Alto-Medio Polesine Basso Veronese) project has been

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progressively focussing on possible rule-sets underlying the spatial/temporal (often punctuated)/functional setting

and morphogenetic path (birth, death, and possible resurrection) of complex Landscape of Powers (LoP) in the

Bronze Age of the Po Plain. The basic idea that emerges is to try to exploit all sources of available evidence, starting from

Remote Sensing (for instance, the use of OBIA object/ pattern/ scenery-oriented approaches) to discover possible practice/

action-based logics (rarely Bayesian, normally fuzzy and risk and uncertainty-driven), endowed with some explanatory

potential for the integrated strategy responsible for the instantiation of pioneer Landscapes of Power. The last involves,

inter alia, big jumps in the order of magnitude of settlement size and ranking range, along with major changes to the

recurrent rank/size function- related spatial rules. This would involve a number of agrarian and sacred landscapes, in what

could be referred to as a hyper-coherent code of practice in territorial decision-making. As an example, there appears to

be a number of emerging rules in the spatial layout of key vectors and nodes (such as those referring to the unprecedented

and extraordinary connectivity and hydraulic networks) in relation to centre/periphery and marginal locations. The

fractal rule-set seems to work at different, nested layers of resolution and complexity from the intra- and inter-polity

levels, when we compare the local dendritic central place systems , such as those operating in the Valli Grandi Veronesi

of around Frattesina, to the all-encompassing world system.

Bronze Age Urbanism: The Status of the Corneti Mega-SiteAnthony Harding (University of Exeter, Department of Archaeology, Exeter), Bernhard Heeb (Museum fr Vor- und Frhgeschichte, Berlin), Alexandru Szentmiklosi (Museum of the Banat, Timisoara)

How urban were large enclosed sites in Bronze Age Europe? The question has been asked many times without any

consensus being forthcoming. There are notable phases of enclosure in various parts of Europe at various stages of the

Bronze Age. But such sites, while clearly the location of significant agglomerated settlement and home to hundreds of

people, cannot incontrovertibly be described as urban. The rolling lowlands of the Banat have seen fieldwork in recent

years on a number of large-scale Bronze Age enclosed sites. The most extensively excavated is Feudvar near Moorin in

Serbia, but by far the largest is Corneti in Romania, where four concentric earthwork rings enclose an area over 17km2 in extent. Fieldwork since 2007, and in particular geophysical survey, is shedding light on the function of particular parts of

the site interior, but the wider question of how such a site was built and organised remains open. This paper will consider

aspects of the Corneti site in terms both of its internal features but also of its wider setting, and suggest ways in which its

enormous scale might be understood within the dynamics of the start of the Late Bronze Age in central Europe and beyond.

The Iron Age Superoppidum of Belsk, UkraineTimothy Taylor (University of Vienna, Institut fr Urgeschichte und Historische Archologie, Vienna), Sergey Makhortykh (Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev), James Johnson (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh)

The mid-fifth century Greek description of a wood-ramparted city in an ethnically-mixed zone of Scythia appears at first

implausible, especially in terms of scale. Herodotuss Gelonus was inhabited by fair-haired, blue-eyed ex-Greek-trader

Geloni, who had settled within the land of the dark, lice-eating Budini. Measuring 30 stadium lengths (30 x c. 190 m = 5.7 km)

on each side (if constructed on a broadly rectangular plan, about 30 km2 in area), it has been dismissed by many classicists as

another Herodotean lie or exaggeration. A plausible archaeological identification can nevertheless be sustained at the site

of Belsk on the Vorskla tributary of the Dnieper, in the Poltava region of eastern Ukraine. Here, surviving 10 m high ramparts

extended 12 km northsouth and 7 km eastwest to enclose perhaps 25% more area than Herodotus estimated. Defended

or controlled by three oppidum-sized sub-fortresses, the site, under intermittent archaeological investigation for more than a century, was constructed in the sixthfifth century BC, while the presence of 2,000 Scythian-period kurgan burial mounds

indicates a substantial occupation over at least three centuries. This paper reports on archaeological and bio-anthropological

research initiatives at Belsk and presents some working hypotheses concerning social function and economic role.

Experiments in Urbanism? Reconsidering the Nature of Late Iron Age Oppida in Britain and FranceTom Moore (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham), Cme Ponroy (Durham University, Department of Archaeology, Durham)

The appearance of mega-sites (traditionally known as oppida), often of unparalleled scale (e.g. Bibracte 200ha; Colchester: 2,000ha), in the Late Iron Age of Europe provides a unique dataset for exploring how complex social systems can articulate

power in distinct and novel ways, in the absence of towns in the Classical sense. However, the question of whether

these can be described as urban has overshadowed a deeper understanding of the development and role of such sites.

By continuing to examine this issue almost wholly in relation to Roman urban development or against checklists devised

for the Mediterranean world, studies have measured Iron Age societies against peculiarly Classical concepts of urbanism

or isolated them from wider debate. Taking Late Iron Age France and Britain as our focus, and using evidence from our

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own field projects, this paper will demonstrate the complexity of the oppidum phenomenon. We shall argue that the increasingly sophisticated understanding of the diverse forms taken by mega-sites and urbanism elsewhere in the world (e.g. Cowgill 2004: Ann. Rev. of Anthropology), and the ways that these were used to articulate power, provide useful comparisons for re-situating Iron Age oppida within more nuanced understandings of the emergence of large, complex societies without Classical urban forms.

Re-Assessing the Oppida: New Perspectives on Urbanisation Processes in the European Iron AgeManuel Fernndez-Gtz (University of Edinburgh School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Edinburgh)For a long time, the origins and development of Late Iron Age Oppida were viewed from predominantly economic perspectives and as dependent on contacts with the Mediterranean world. However, advances in research in recent decades make it necessary to qualify and re-assess many of the traditional interpretations of the genesis and functions of these centres. This paper focuses on the political and religious role of the Oppida, questioning the assumption that they concentrated all relevant industrial and trading activities, and arguing that these centres represented a new technology of power related to a more hierarchical and centralising ideology. Moreover, the early chronology of the great open agglomerations of the 3rd to 1st centuries BC shows that the concentration of the population and economic activities began some time before the foundation of the Oppida. Finally, it will show that the existence of places for cultic purposes and holding assemblies very often pre-dated the development of major settlements on the sites occupied by the Oppida - a phenomenon which has profound implications for our understanding of Iron Age urbanisation processes.

From the Neolithic to the Iron Age Demography and Social Agglomeration: The Development of Centralized Control?Johannes Mller (University of Kiel, Institut fr Ur- und Frhgeschichte, Kiel)New research results on Late Hallstatt settlement patterns have been used to describe agglomerated central settlements such as the Heuneburg as cities or sub-cities. A reconstruction of the general demographic development of Europe from ca. 6000500 BC emphasizes, beside a general population increase, such agglomeration processes at different times. Three examples of centralization - even urbanization - processes, at Okolite, Trypillia mega-sites and Hallstatt, are described and linked to the question of social power and social control in prehistoric societies. In consequence, the Hallstatt development emerges as a structural phenomenon already observed in Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age societies. As we are confronted with processes not necessarily known from historical or ethnographical records, a new term social agglomeration-control ( agglo-control) is introduced, which highlights prehistoric centralization processes as triggers of social control in non-literate societies.

POSTERS

The Temple on the Trypillia Mega-Site of NebelivkaNataliia Burdo (Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv), Mykhailo Videiko (Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv)

Investigated in 2012 at the Trypillia mega-site of Nebelivka, Kirovograd Domain, Ukraine, the remains of the construction with an area of c. 1,200 sq.m. (the so-called mega-structure) can be interpreted as the remains of a public building - a temple. The recently completed plan of the settlement according to geomagnetic survey shows that, on its territory, it was the only building of this size, which became the center of the complex plan, constructed at the highest point. These excavations gave us the possibility to reconstruct a two-storey building made of wood and clay surrounded by a galleried courtyard, five rooms on the second floor and raised family altars made of clay on the ground floor. Its construction required labour commensurate with the construction of several dozen ordinary houses. Its plan and some features of this structure find analogies in temples from the 5th 4th millennia BC known from excavations in Anatolia and Mesopotamia.

Apulian (SE Italy) Mega-Sites of the Early Iron Age (VIII-VI cent. BCE)Alessandro Vanzetti (Sapienza University of Rome, Rome)In Northern Apulia, some mega-sites emerged during the Early Iron Age, slightly later than the proto-urbanization of Etruria, Latium and Northern Italy. The 80-ha size of sites such as Ausculum and Ordona (VIII cent. BCE onwards) can be easily compared with other Italian proto-urban sites, but there is a jump in size to 500 ha at Arpi (VII cent. BCE onwards), which is enclosed by an earthen bank. These mega-sites have been neglected in the Italian debate on proto-urbanization, owing to a lack of fine-grained data and because of other non-standard proto-urban aspects in the social complexity of Apulia (e.g., cemeteries and the late adoption of writing). In order to understand the different models of (proto-)urbanism of Italy, it is relevant to consider all of these situations, which can be better understood by a comparative study of Southern

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Apulia in its broader Southern Italian context.

England on the Edge: The Stable Isotope EvidenceSarah Mallet (University of Oxford, Oxford)

For this paper, I will use stable isotope to compare the diets of early medieval England and its neighbouring regions (such as

Scotland or the continent) to understand how much the collapse of the Roman Empire and the breakdown of the traditional

foodways of antiquity affected food productions and human diets. Food is one of lifes necessities: it can be argued that

sudden changes in agriculture can have dramatic effects on the economy and can thus lead to the marginalisation of

otherwise thriving provinces. By looking at human diets in a pan-European context following the collapse of the Roman

Empire, it is hoped that different food productions patterns will become visible, which can then help explain why Britain

turned from a fully integrated Roman province to a kingdom on the edge of the civilised world.

T05S002 - STEADY STATE, FLORESCENCE AND BUST: ALTERNATIVE INSULAR MODEL FROM MALTAOrganizers: Simon Stoddart (Queens University Belfast, Belfast), Christopher Hunt (Queens University Belfast, Belfast), Caroline Malone (Queens University Belfast, Belfast), Anthony Pace (Superintendence of Malta, Val-letta), Katya Stroud (Heritage Malta, Valletta), Nicholas Vella (University of Malta, Msida)

Many models for the Neolithic propose a Boom and Bust scenario for demography and economy. The situation in Malta

suggests a relatively stable model that sustained the famous monument building from c. 3600 BC to c. 2400 BC when the

system does appear to change drastically. The FRAGSUS project supported by the European Research Council is bringing

scientific (pollen, isotopes, geoarchaeology etc) and cultural interpretations together to explain on the one hand the sus-

tained reproduction of society in a fragile environment and on the other the sudden change in that very same society at

about 2400 BC. The papers will examine the environment, human health, human landscape, social organisation and herit-

age/museological preservation.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

IntroductionCaroline Malone (Queens University Belfast, Belfast), Anthony Pace (Superintendence of Malta, Valletta)This session brings together a number of archaeological and palaeo-environmental approaches currently being tested

to explore ideas of continuity and change in small islands. With its density and wealth of archaeology, Malta provides

a good testing ground to understand how societies deal with change and unpredictability. Ancient Malta demonstrated

remarkable resilience in the face of major resource constraints which might have led to abandonment and collapse in

other contexts. We present models that demonstrate the cyclical process of initial boom and subsequent bust in Maltas

prehistory, and speculate on what special socio-economic systems and ecological responses enabled populations to thrive,

build monuments, develop remarkable arts, seek external contacts and ascertain continuity while responding to change.

Prehistoric Malta shows how resource poor islands could create appropriate mechanisms and technologies to ensure a

degree of efficient consumption and demographic stability over sustained periods of time. This would have required adap-

tive responses to periodical bad year economics and environmental problems, but also a capitalization of successes in

the long imperceptible realities of Mediterranean developments. This paper explores the wider implications of the lessons

being learnt from prehistoric Malta that have application across much wider geographies than the central Mediterranean.

Fragility and Sustainability in IslandsChristopher Hunt (Queens University Belfast, Belfast), Patrick J. Schembri (University of Malta, Msida), Anne M. Jones (Queens University Belfast, Belfast)

Islands are spatially separated from other landmasses and their area is restricted: the interaction of these two factors

leads to many of the special characteristics of island biota and of island societies. Island biotas are filtered by distance and dispersal mechanisms, often with those species able to colonise expanding their niche space and thus evolving rapidly to

exploit the particular conditions of the island environment. A restricted biota with a high degree of specialisation may be

extremely vulnerable to environmental change. In societal terms, island isolation and spatial restriction throws into strong

relief the population/resources balance and necessitates the deployment of rigorous and highly-developed adjustment

strategies. Successful strategies can lead to long-term sustainability, but minor perturbations may be sufficient to trigger

societal collapse. We argue that many of the spectacular features of the Maltese Neolithic are likely to be a reflection of

adjustment strategies relating to the population-resources balance, and that disruption caused by droughts associated

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with the climatic event at 4.3 ka BP may have triggered societal collapse.

Fragile Margin or Island Arcadia? The Making of the Prehistoric Maltese IslandscapeReuben Grima (University of Malta, Msida), Nicholas Vella (University of Malta, Msida), Gianmarco Alberti (Uni-versity of Malta, Msida)

Interpretations of small island societies have often been characterised by narratives of vulernability, fragility, and restricted resources. Explanations for the Maltese Neolithic and the phenomenon of temple building have been dominated by the idea of a cultural florescence doomed to inevitable collapse. The intensive monumental activity has sometimes been read as a cause of, and sometimes as a response to, resource stress. An implicit danger in such interpretations is that of read-ing history backwards from the apparent collapse around 2400 BC. This paper re-examines the evidence of the cultural construction of the Maltese Neolithic islandscape from the islands first colonization with the aim of tracing strategies to optimise resources and minimise the risks of a small island group. The exploitation of ecological niches, and their transfor-mation over time into successful units of social organisation is examined. The implications of interdependence and coop-eration in such a context are considered.

The Microlandscape of Prehistoric MaltaSara Boyle (Queens University Belfast, Belfast), Anthony Pace (Superintendence of Malta, Valletta), Simon Stoddart (Queens University Belfast, Belfast)The Maltese Islands are well-known for their wealth of prehistoric monuments, yet the wider prehistoric landscape has remained poorly understood and disconnected from the monumental architecture. The first authors recent doctoral re-search has somewhat rectified this biased view of prehistory by exploring prehistoric settlement activity on the Maltese island of Gozo. A survey database put together by the first author from collections of the Cambridge Gozo project in the late 1980s and 1990s provided an opportunity to establish an understanding of prehistoric settlement activity at the micro-level using modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, and a series of exploratory GIS-driven spatial analysis pro-cedures enabled the wider social and physical context of prehistoric settlement activity on the island to be explored. The results of this research show the transformative nature of Gozitan prehistoric settlement activity as a cycle of settlement activity was played out over the Neolithic and Temple Period phases and was repeated during the Bronze Age; a cycle that is likely to have been driven by the population dynamics of the islands prehistoric cultures, the increasing elaboration and domination of ritual or social elements, and the intimate relationship between the islanders and their small, fragile and restricted island home.

Maltese Temple Landscape ProjectTimothy Darvill (Bournemouth University, Bournemouth), Fritz Lth (Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, Ber-lin), John Gale (Bournemouth University, Bournemouth)The prehistoric temples located on the islands of Malta and Gozo in the heart of the Mediterranean are widely recognized as the earliest free standing buildings in the world and accordingly they have attracted the attention of generations of ar-chaeologists, antiquarians and scholars. However, very little is known about their physical, environmental, social, and eco-nomic context, or their relationships with other contemporary features in the landscape. Investigations since 2010 by an in-ternational team of archaeologists from the UK, Germany, and Malta have begun to address these questions by focusing on the area around Skorba in the centre of Malta. This paper presents an overview of preliminary results from fieldwork that place the temple complexes into their physical and social landscapes. Research has included a geoarchaeological approach included magnetometry, magnetic susceptibility surveys, soil chemistry, test-pitting, and the targeted re-examination of earlier excavation trenches and soil heaps. Together these indicate an extensive area of activity around the temple site; the results will form the basis for determining a campaign of selective excavation in future years.

Lessons from the Stratigraphy of Tas-SilgAlberto Cazzella (Sapienza Universit di Roma, Rome), Giulia Recchia (University of Foggia, Foggia)Excavations 2003-2011 at Tas-Silg north have provided new evidence as regards different aspects of the Maltese Late Neolithic, ranging from the variability of megalithic buildings, to ceramic assemblages, bioarcheological data and cultic practices. Late Neolithic deposits that were sealed by collapse layers have been found, which shed some light on the spatial organisation of the activities at the sanctuary. Furthermore, stratigraphic sequences have shown that collapse events of some megalithic features had already occurred at the end of the Late Neolithic. Following these events, the site continued to be occupied and there are good clues that the production of traditional Late Neolithic pottery endured over the earliest phase of the Bronze Age, that is, the phase characterised by Thermi Ware. These pieces of evidence give us material for reflection on the vexed question of the causes and dynamics of the end of Temple period in Malta. In this paper we will present, in the first place, the stratigraphic evidence from Tas-Silg north. Hypotheses on the pattern of use of the areas of the sanctuary will be proposed. Finally, we will discuss possible models of both social organisation and dynamic of fall of

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the Late Neolithic culture.

The Subsistence Basis for the Prehistoric Economy of Malta from Bioarchaeological Analyses at Tas SilgGirolamo Fiorentino (University of Salento, Lecce), Jacopo De Grossi Mazzorin (University of Salento, Lecce)In this paper we present the results of bioarchaeological analyses (archaeozoological and archaeobotanical macrore-

mains) from the prehistoric temple of Tas Silg on Malta, from a diachronical perspective, found in the Late Neolithic

(Tarxien Temple phase) to the Late Bronze Age (Late Borg in-Nadur phase) phases. The cereal and legume remains show

variations in agricultural techniques in the various phases of occupation of the site, probably reflecting the response to

climatic micro-variations testified also by variations in anthracological assemblage. The faunal remains show an economy

based primarily on sheep farming, but which, over time, tends to decrease in percentage in favour of pig. In the earli-

est phases there has been an increased presence of goats which may have resulted in substantial alteration of the plant

landscape. Of particular interest is the introduction of feral cats, probably from Sicily, for the control of rodents. The bio-

archaeological analyses highlight variations in natural plant coverage and the resilience of the human groups in the rich

variety of strategies adopted for exploiting the plant and animal resources in relation to micro-variations in the climate

during this period of the Holocene.

Maltese Prehistoric Stone Tool Technology and Procurement StrategiesClive Vella (Brown University, Providence)

Rekindled interest in Maltas prehistoric material culture offers new insights into the archipelagos past. The ongoing

analysis of stone tools from the Maltese Islands has now covered the Late Neolithic megalithic sites of Ras il-Pellegrin, Ta

Hagrat, and Borg in-Nadur, as well as the multi-phased sites of Skorba and Tas-Silg. Skorba and Tas-Silg offer particularly

interesting trends that allow the comparison of single period occupation to a broader view of Maltas prehistory in multi-

phased sites. By focusing on stone tool technology processes, it appears that imported raw materials maintain an almost

consistent manufacture process while the use of obsidian tapers off at the very beginning of the Temple Period. The site

of Tas-Silg, with its significant Bronze Age deposits, shows interesting patterns of stone tool technology in the post-Temple

Period occupancy of the earlier megalithic centers. By not focusing on the falling obsidian presence in the Late Neolithic

Malta, it is thought to be more useful to comparatively analyze the procurement strategies and mechanisms of imported

flint and local chert. This comparison can give insights into the manner in which voyaging and trade fluctuated across

Maltas rich prehistory.

Junctures and Conjunctures: The Rise of Early Urban Settlements in MaltaAnthony Pace (Superintendence of Malta, Valletta), Nathaniel Cutajar (Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Valletta)

Maltas late Bronze Age provides an opportunity to examine long-term growth as a precondition to the establishment of

new polis-style realities. The Borg in-Nadur phase is marked by intensified land use and the spread of settlements on hill

tops and promontories. Communities benefited from regional and long distance contacts as documented by Mycenaean

pottery and a Cuneiform inscription in Malta, and by the presence of Maltese pottery in Sicily. Borg in-Nadur represents a

significant break with the Late Neolithic and the ensuing Early Bronze Age. For the first time, we have large clustered set-

tlements suggesting a proto-urban life style. This is confirmed by recent excavations at Borg in-Nadur, the Mdina/Rabat/

Mtarfa area, the Cittadella and Nuffara. These patterns were transformed by westward migration from the eastern Medi-

terranean. The consolidation of Phoenician settlements by the eighth century BC benefited from the achievements of the

Middle Bronze Age. By the seventh century a distinctly rural/urban divide was created. Key settlements, namely Mdina/

Rabat and the Cittadella became sites of Phoenician urban settlements. Others, such as Borg in-Nadur, Bahrija, Nuffara,

tal-Mejtin, Wardija ta San Gorg, ta Qali, survived as rural sites or were abandoned.

Prehistoric Tales for the General Public: Time for a ChangeKatya Stroud (Heritage Malta, Valletta)

The Interpretation Centre at gantija Temples opened its doors to visitors in October 2013. Curators were spoilt for choice,

with a few hundreds of artifacts which had never been seen by the general public, available for display. However, the

development of the interpretation storylines and media to be included in this centre, took a slightly different turn. This paper will discuss the popular stories that the public hears about Maltas prehistory, how these reach our public, how some

stories have endured through the years and how true these are to the archaeological record. Beyond virtual media, it is

the museums, sites and visitor centres that provide the primary interface with the public. It is therefore here that Heritage

Malta is developing a new approach to interpretation on the Maltese Islands, with the aim of creating enticing and exciting

storylines that capture the audiences attention, without veering onto fiction. Some of the tools that are being borrowed

from conventional storytelling and adapted to interpretation will also be discussed in this paper, with examples of how

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these are being put into practice at the gantija Interpretation Centre.

Discussion. Malta Seen in the Context of Island Societies in the European NeolithicGabriel Cooney (University College, Dublin)

Malta is a case study of distinctive ways of life and traditions created by working with the constraints and possibilities of

island resources linked to what was available through wider maritime networks of connections. But of course Malta is only

one such island Neolithic society among a number in the Mediterranean. Other notable examples include the Balearic Is-

lands and at a larger scale Crete. Taking a broader geographical focus then it could be said that island life and connectivity

with islands is one of the striking features of the Neolithic of Atlantic Europe. Britain and Ireland are just the largest exam-

ples of island societies which take us from the Channel Islands to Shetland, the latter sited as the most northerly expression

of a classic Neolithic way of life. Taking Malta as a focus for comparison this paper poses the question of whether there are

patterns in common in the establishment and development of Neolithic societies on islands. How critical is the question of

the scale of the island? Is boom and bust is a recurring phenomenon? Can we identify recurring trends in the way which

people created distinctive lifestyles, brought about and coped with change in different island landscapes?

T05S003 - COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON EARLY URBANISM IN EUROPE AND BE-YONDOrganizers: Nadia Khalaf (University of East Anglia, Norwich), Kasper Hanus (Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney, Sydney), Piotr Kalicki (Institute of Archaeology of Jagiellonian University)

Recent advances of archaeology and other social sciences call into question traditional models of urbanism

and its applicability to other urban centers than those of the Classical world and Late Middle Ages. How-

ever, despite the intensive research devoted to early urbanism in complex societies, there is still no scientific consensus on

its origin, scope, character and development. Emerging models, for instance the low-density urbanism model, are usually

applied to a limited number of complex societies, which usually developed within the same cultural area or, at best, in a

similar environment. In our opinion such a situation calls for a comparative perspective on early urbanism to elucidate

its nature, verify proposed models and consider their application outside the context in which they were formulated. We

invite contributions which seek new perspectives on early urbanism not only in terms of chronology, but also in terms

of characteristics. We hope that this session will provide a forum for useful discussion that will consider urbanism from a

range of comparative examples, particularly new models and interpretations of early urbanism, and their applications in

European archaeology and beyond.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

First Cities, First States - Central Places and Social Complexity in Early Iron Age EuropeManuel Fernndez-Gtz (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh)

Research projects conducted during the last years on so-called princely sites like Heuneburg, Glauberg, Ipf, Mont Lassois

or Bourges, we have to rethink our traditional understanding of Early Iron Age centralisation and urbanisation processes.

The spectacular results serve to indicate that the political and demographic dimensions of Central European societies in the

6th and 5th centuries BC have to date been under- rather than overestimated. To quote only two of the most spectacular

examples, recent research has shown that the entire settlement of the Heuneburg had an area of ca. 100 hectares during the

mudbrick wall phase, with an estimated population of around 5,000 inhabitants, and in the case of Bourges the whole com-

plex covered several hundred hectares in the 5th century BC. Monumental fortifications, profane, sacred and funerary archi-

tecture, artisanal quarters and Mediterranean imports all bear testimony to the manifold functions of the centres of power

which developed between the end of the 7th and the 5th centuries BC in an area stretching from Bohemia to Central France.

Comparing the Emergence of Towns in Uppland, SwedenJoakim Kjellberg (Uppsala University, Uppsala)

In this presentation I will address questions relating to the emergence of towns and urbanism within the material of my

PhD- project: Urban dynamics materializing power, agency and identities within urban spaces 1100-1450. The general

objective of the project is to develop archaeological theory concerned with urbanity and urbanism. The ambition is that

this theory would have the capacity of taking an integrated perspective on material culture and social dynamics. Within

the project I intend to discuss the complexity of social identities and investigate their involvement in the construction and

development of the urban spaces through comparative analysis of material culture. The empirical base are the archaeo-

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logical records from the three early and high medieval towns of Uppsala, Enkping and Sigtuna in eastern central Sweden.

Towards the Making of a City and Its Inhabitants A Study of Urban Character and Urbanity as Life in Early CopenhagenHanna Dahlstrm (Museum of Copenhagen, Copenhagen)Recent research points out the complexity and heterogeneity within the field of early urbanism, also in the Late Medieval

period. The development of a town is no longer seen as necessarily following a straight line. It is also seen that urban

environments from the beginning have been socially complex places. These statements seem to be true for the capital of

Copenhagen. With new source material from the metroline excavations, a phd-project is to start, which intends to investi-gate the early urban development of the city from the first settlement traces in the late Viking Age to the 13th century. The project, which will be presented in this paper, has its emphasis on investigating urban life forms and identities, the urban landscape and urban interfaces. By a closely integrating and contextualised approach to the analysis of archaeological contexts and their material culture, the aim is to extract detailed information about activities, land use and chronology to be used in the interpretation of the place called Copenhagen and the lives lived there. It may also serve as a valuable case study to the field of urbanism, contributing with examples of factors important to the making of a city and its inhabitants.

The Quest for the Constitution of Urbanism in Medieval Scandinavia The Case of Kalmar, SwedenStefan Larsson (Swedish National Heritage Board, Stockholm)A town is a human construction. It is an artifact, an agglomeration of social space, in different scales and levels. Established theoretical frameworks have provided formal descriptions of the town as a phenomenon. However, they are of limited help in explaining change, modifications or renegotiations in ways other than descriptive, or confirmative of, and subordinated to, a processual historicism. Our conception of towns has to a large extent been limited to understanding, presenting and reproducing them in terms of mere material and architectural facts and as the outcome of the one-sided, single-acting eccle-siastical or royal will-to-power. There is a need to (re)formulate an archaeological ontology more closely anchored in the ma-teriality and spatiality of everyday life. In short, we need to shift our disciplinary perspective from an archaeology of towns to an archaeology of the urban, from practicing urban archaeology to pursuing an archaeology of urbanism. Based on an on-going interdisciplinary project in medieval Kalmar, this paper will address some of problems of continuity and discon-tinuity in relation to urban changes by discussing some aspects of pre-industrial urban forms in the context of social logic.

A Land between Sicilys Place in Emergence of Medieval Hilltop SettlementsScott Kirk (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque)Within the scope of urban development in 10th-11th Century Europe, Sicily stands as an enigma. Like elsewhere, settle-ments gradually began to position themselves upon defensible hilltops but, while this phenomenon is seen in both Islamic and Christian Europe, there is a dispute as to what it actually means. In Islamic Spain, hilltop fortifications begin as refuge sites for rural populations and only later become settlements while in Christian Europe hilltop settlements are seen in terms of incastellamento where a central fortification served as the residence of a feudal lord. In spite of this difference, the general settlement patterns are remarkably similar, leaving many scholars to question what broader circumstances lead to this widespread trend throughout Europe. Sicily, at this time, underwent a transition from Muslim to Christian rulers in the 11th Century and thus, its settlements show elements of both the Islamic refuge and Christian incastellamento. Sicilys place between these two worlds might serve to bridge the gap between the two developments and redefine incastella-mento. This paper will look at the broader changes in Sicilian medieval settlement patterns and examine them within the context of the broader changes going on throughout Europe at the time.

Intercultural Trade and Urbanization in the EIA MediterraneanRune Frederiksen (Danish Institute at Athens, Athens)The growth of the city state cultures of the Etruscans, central Italians, Greeks and Phoenicians in the EIA and early Archaic

periods, is to a great extent a story about urbanization and trade between neighboring city states. The long distance in-

tercultural trade, however, was also of great significance for the economic and cultural boom in the region in the 8th and

7th centuries BC. Studying trade and linking certain archaeological artifacts to specific ethnic groups are most difficult

endeavors, where the risk for over or misinterpretation are rather high. When we study a vast data material ranging from

architecture, over pottery forms and functions, to the use of writing, we may, however, be able to grasp some tendencies

of significance and with which we may base sound interpretation. This paper discusses to what extend we are able to de-

termine if the foreign input, economic as well as cultural, was secondary to indigenous growth and cultural invention.

Methodological Issues for Interpreting and Comparing Mycenaean and Preclassic Maya UrbanismMarcus Bajema (Leiden University, Leiden)

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The purpose of this paper is to discuss two cases of early urbanism that have often been seen as problematic. For both My-cenaean Greece and the Preclassic Maya the presence of urban forms has been questioned. Even if urbanism has been ac-cepted, it has proven difficult to model it in these cases. Yet the weight of the accumulated evidence makes it hard to deny that urban features can be recognised in the respective archaeological records. Focusing on the four traits of agricultural surplus mobilisation, urban form, economic relations, and monumental art and architecture, I will explore the differences and similarities between the two cases. It will be suggested that the use of traits should not be seen as a shopping list for defining urbanism, a critique often levelled at Gordon Childes treatment of his urban revolution. Instead they have the dual advantage of being adaptable both to general scales of complexity, and to considering the interrelations between traits in specific archaeological contexts, such as those of Mycenaean Greece and the Preclassic Maya.

The Cities of the Kingdom of Shan-ShanEmilia Smagur (Jagiellonian University, Cracow)Between the third and the eight century AD the oases concentrated on both edges of the Taklamakan Desert were organ-ized into political organisms, which we can consider as city-states. Among them, from the mid-third to the mid-fifth centu-ries CE the kingdom of Shan-shan came to dominate the southern route of the Tarim. As in the case of other kingdoms, its economy could develop because of the practice of irrigation agriculture; it was based on cultivation, animal husbandry and crafts. Unlike the cities of Mediterranean World this area has not been systematically surveyed, and the archaeological data are still scattered. However, the model of urbanism can be studied, using the data gathered by Aurel Stein, supplemented by the results of contemporary projects which include Chinese excavations, the International Dunhuang Project, the study of satellite images and the literary evidence. The goal of this paper is to discuss the distinctive features of the urbanism of the oasis city-states in the Tarim Basin through case studies of archaeological sites in the kingdom of Shan-shan (Miran, Niya, Loulan and Endere among others). It will also examine the effectiveness of satellite imaging for the study of an area which is difficult of access.

The Greater Angkor - Low Density Urban Complex of NW CambodiaKasper Jan Hanus (Department of Archaeology, The University of Sydney & Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellon-ian University, Cracow)

The spatial configuration of Angkor puzzled scholars since the second half of the 19th century. However for the next hun-dred years since first archaeological works at Angkor were conducted there were no methods for surveying site of that size. Technological advance of last twenty years that brings new airborne and spaceborne remote sensing methods, like AirSar or LiDAR, to look at this very site with accuracy never achieved. In my paper I shall present how this new methods changed our understanding of Angkor and proved that it was a biggest great density urban centre of the pre-industrial world.

Boundary Line Type (BLT) Mapping: Comparing Inhabitation of Urban FormBenjamin N. Vis (University of Leeds, Leeds)Advances in archaeological mapping coverage and techniques are increasingly making us aware that the global city, which has precursors in compact towns, was not the only mode of early urbanism in various parts of the world. Southeast Asia, Mesoamerica and Sub-Saharan Africa all witnessed resilient urban traditions which have been described as low-density agro-urban landscapes. It strikes us initially how radically distinct such kinds of urban form are from other present-day and early building practices. However, focusing on inevitable differences obscured understanding of these places as serving essentially similar purposes. All cities or urban landscapes are ultimately intensively developed places for human inhabita-tion. As detailed and comprehensive archaeological datasets on the layout of different kinds of urban form grow, there is a need to develop appropriate analyses beyond basic empirical measurements which enable us to understand all cities as inhabited built-up landscapes. I have devised Boundary Line Type (BLT) Mapping with a view to comparative apply it to the widest thinkable variety of urban form. It concerns a conceptual and analytical mapping practice which formalises the com-position of materially present affordances to interact in space. This paper discusses its inferential potential using examples from ancient Maya Chunchucmil and historical Winchester.

Large, Dispersed, Agrarian Settlements in Prehistory: A New Settlement Category?Kirrily White (University of Sydney, Sydney)Very large, agrarian settlements with dispersed occupation have always presented challenges to classification. Within pro-gress models of human settlement behaviour, such sites as large Iron Age oppida (Europe and UK 2nd

C BCE 1st

C CE),

the Trypillia megasites (Ukraine 4th M BCE), Great Zimbabwe (13-15th

C CE), and some Mississippi Mound sites (11th-14th

C CE) are often characterized as urban, proto- urban, or pre-urban, but materially and spatially, these sites behaved differ-ently to conventional urban settlements. Crucially, they seem to have preceded the appearance of urbanism in any specific

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region and to have formed within long sequences of stable, but smaller settlement building traditions. Their seemingly low occupation densities and the incorporation of industrial and agricultural space within the settlement boundaries, sug-gests that these sites may be rare examples of settlement gigantism with unique trajectories of formation and demise. This current research builds on the work of Roland Fletcher (1995, 2013) in exploring the idea that these settlements actually constitute a discrete settlement category, and examines the characteristics of such a category through a cross-regional comparison of the settlements material and spatial behaviour.

Low Density Urbanism and Pristine States: Comparative Perspectives on Early UrbanismPiotr Kalicki (Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University, Cracow)Recently many large, low-density urban sites were found in Southeast Asia (Angkor, Pagan), Maya lowlands (Tikal, Caracol) and Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura, Pollonnaruwa). They were characterized by center with public architecture which was not separated by any clear limits from surrounding zone with intensive agriculture, often based on complex agricultural infra-structure, and extensive low-density residential areas. Despite the fact that all of low-density urban centers are located in areas of tropical or subtropical humid climate, it may be argued that they were also present in areas of dry or cool climate. To support this hypothesis some examples of urban centers, which may be interpreted as low-density from the Central Andes and other areas of non-humid climate will be presented. It may be suggested that socio-economic factors contributed more to the formation of low-density urban centers than climate. It seems that subsistence economy based on agriculture or even pastoralism, poorly developed exchange of staple goods, low institutionalization of political power and pronounced social hierarchy played important role in the development of low-density urbanism. Such urban centers had rather administrative and political functions than economic, and therefore they were unable to survive the collapse of political structure or religious ideology.

Entrepology. Reconsidering Maritime Networks CitiesSren M. Sindbk (Aarhus University, Aarhus)Coastal trading centres, or emporia, are often side-lined in the general history of urbanism, where city states and city empires continue to define the object of inquiry. Yet as research increasingly challenges time-honoured models of urban society, along with the paradigmatic examples which they referred to, archaeology is revealing coastal trading towns as a global and long-standing strain of urban development a far cry from the transient mushroom cities or coastal commu-nities of a peculiar kind dismissed by earlier generations of researchers. In the early Middle Ages emporia were arguably some of the most dynamic urban centres across many parts of the world. The temporal coincidence of noticeably similar developments in widely separate regions, and the occurrence of direct material links, raises the question if trans-cultural homologies in early medieval urbanism arose from direct global interdependence or as parallel patterns in response to broadly similar world conjunctures. This paper asks how an increasing body of archaeological evidence can be used to inform more appropriate models. It outlines a vision of urbanism guided by the theory of complex systems: as a cultural attractor through which the practices and routines in different societal trajectories converge on homologous patterns.

Theories on the Urban Past and Their Relevance to the PresentRachael Lane (University of Sydney, Sydney)This paper looks at theoretical perspectives on the urban past and their relevance to the present using a case study of preindustrial, low-density settlements. The relevance of the archaeological past to the present as both a philosophical and conceptual issue is also addressed in this paper. Urban planners and scholars do not generally factor the archaeological past into decisions about the future of modern cities. In the case of low-density urbanism, planners and scholars tend to view this as a short-term phenomenon produced by the industrial revolution. Valuable insight from past to present may be gained from the long-term perspective of low-density settlement patterns, which can arguably be observed in every major socioeconomic system on the planet and has sustained through centuries and sometimes millennia. Archaeologists can observe outcomes of low-density cities with implications for the growth and decline of modern urban cities. To understand why the past is proclaimed to be relevant by both archaeologists and the public, and yet is not utilised, we need to assess is-sues both internal and external to archaeology. Processualism and postprocessualism operate within a presentist paradigm contributing to the production of unusable knowledge for decision making and planning in modernity. Moreover, conditions of modernity in theory render the archaeological past as irrelevant.

POSTER

An Imperial Town in a Time of Transition Life, Environment and Decline of Early Byzantine Cariin GradConstanze Rhl (Rmisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz), Rainer Schreg (Rmisch-Germanisches Zen-tralmuseum, Mainz)

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The remains of the early byzantine complex of Cariin Grad in south - eastern Serbia show the characteristics of a classical

city, combined with ecclesiastical Christian architecture. Based on byzantine text sources, Cariin Grad is supposed to be

identical to Iustiniana Prima, a city newly founded by the emperor Justinian as the regions episcopal and administrative

centre. With the period of occupation covering a mere 90 years, from circa 530-615 AD, and no further use of the site

afterwards, Cariin Grad allows a rare archaeological snapshot of a short period of very intensive use. Due to these cir-

cumstances, it offers the unique opportunity to analyse a city at the turn from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. The

economic, environmental and social history of the city is the main objective of a project started in 2014. Two topics will be

addressed within this context. Households, consumption and every day life and Resources for building and maintaining

Cariin Grad. Based on the perspective of human ecology, the project will establish new approaches and investigate the

concept of the city during periods of cultural transition. The poster will give an outline of concepts and first results.

T05S004 - OUTLANDS AND OUTLAND USE - IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTUREOrganizers: Eva Svensson (Environmental Science, Karlstad University, Karlstad), Rainer Schreg (Rmisch-Ger-manisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz), Margarita Fernndez Mier (Department of History, University of Leon, Leon)

Increased urban growth and depletion of rural areas, especially outlying or so called marginal areas, are major processes in

European societies today. These processes have shaped our conception of outlying areas in the past. Outlying areas have

therefore been of marginal importance in the archaeology of the past. But, when investigated, outlying areas have often

turned out to be arenas for a variety of human strategies, and of great importance as harbors of resources and ecosystem

services. Outlands were vital both for the subsistence of local communities and for mercantile networks on different levels

in Europe as commodity producers. Today, people in outlying areas are fighting for a sustainable future, using the past as a

major resource. In this session we focus on the dynamics of past outland use, the problems of today and the possibilities of

the future. We would like to combine strategic papers dealing with applied archaeology as well as comparative case studies

characterizing past outland ecosystems. Useful inspiration for papers in this session can be found in some of the challenges

emphasized in the coming Horizon 2020 call; health and well-being, food-security, environment and resource efficiency

and Europe in a changing world.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Between Ideologies and Applied Archaeology Archaeological Perspectives on Outland RegionsRainer Schreg (RGZM, Mainz)

Modern laggard regions are quite different in their historical backgrounds. Whereas some suffer from current economic, fi-

nancial or political developments, other are seen as naturally disadvantaged, marginal and uncultivated landscapes. Based

on examples taken from Germany this paper will reflect the role of archaeology for future developments. Four aspects have

to be taken into mind: 1) Nature protection learning about the environmental history as a precondition of natural protec-

tion and the problems of landscape conservation facing the fact of permanent changes. 2) identity building evaluating

regional history in order to strengthen regional traditions and quality of life. 3) risk management understanding the living

conditions in marginal landscapes, which are often vulnerable against economic and climatic changes. 4) applied archaeol-

ogy drawing value from knowledge of past land use practices by their adaptation to modern conditions. Examples come

rather from non-European landscapes, than from Germany, but there are some interesting starting points related to water

economy. Modern strategies for the development of marginal landscapes seldom reflect on their history. Currently the

establishment of new national parks in several German low mountain ranges provide interesting examples for the neces-

sities of a historical reflection.

The Archaeology of the CommonsKarl-Johan Lindholm (Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient history Uppsala University, Uppsala), Emil Sandstrm (Dept. of Urban & Rural development, Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala), Ann-Kristin Ekman (Dept. of Urban & Rural development, Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala)

Commons are resources that are maintained by principles of cooperative management or joint ownership. The literature is

rich in descriptions of different forms of commons on the outlands of the later pre-industrial agrarian society of northern

Sweden. The industrial era resulted in a noticeable shift in the use of the outlands and in the introduction of firmer prop-

erty rights and rigid land boundaries. A large number of commons from the pre-industrial period has never been officially

registered and can therefore partly be seen as hidden resources. The objective of this paper is to discuss the concept

of commons in relation to a variable archaeological record, mainly associated with the forested regions of Sweden. Is it

possible to identify commons by an archaeological landscape approach and to what extent can a long-term perspective

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contribute to current theoretical discussions concerned with commons? This paper is a partial study within the Formas

research project Commons as Hidden Resources - Analysing the Shifting Roles of the Commons in Rural Development

Processes. The aim of the research project is to create a better understanding of past and present forms of cooperative

natural resource management in the rural regions of northern Sweden as well as insights into the future role of commons

in the context of rural development.

Archaeology of Common-Lands. Environmental Resources and Conflicts in Ligurian Apennines (XVIII-XX c.)Anna Maria Stagno (Research Group on Cultural Heritage and Landscapes (GIPyPAC) of University of the Basque Country; Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology and History (LASA) of the Universit degli Studi di Genova, Vitoria Gasteiz), Vittorio Tigrino (Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Universit degli Studi del Piemonte Orien-tale Amedeo Avogadro, Vercelli), Giulia Beltrametti (Laboratorio di Storia delle Alpi, Universit della Svizzera Italiana, Mendrisio)

Common-lands indicate a category of goods (meadows, pastures, woods, etc.) used by a community through customary

law. Their existence, the complexity of their different uses and the permanence of common rights on lands were crucial in

shaping rural landscapes, so they are nowadays protected as natural heritage. In the archaeological background the juridi-

cal status of uplands (and its changes) is rarely studied, and the presence of common-lands is considered as a datum,

without going into depth on the material effects of social and jurisdictional common access rights. The paper aims to pre-

sent first results of multidisciplinary researches on common-lands carried out on Ligurian Apennines (GE, Italy). Combining

landscape archaeology and documentary research methods, the paper will show how the dynamic nature of commons and

their transformations could be better investigated thanks to the archaeological visibility of conflicts. The result is a non-

linear reconstruction of common lands management, where negotiation was a fundamental way to guarantee dynamic

sustainability between social competition and equal & durable access to environmental resources. The material identifica-

tion of this historical dynamicity constitutes an important key for planning present management of marginal spaces, in

the perspective of sustainable development based on local actors and territorial cohesion.

An Applied Archaeology of the Commons in North-Western Spain: Creating Useful Knowledge for Social Processes?Margarita Fernndez Mier (University of Len, Len), Pablo Alonso Gonzlez (University of Cambridge, Cam-bridge), Juan Antonio Quirs (University of Basque Country, Biscay)

For thousands of years, the large pasture and forest lands of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula have played a funda-

mental role for local communities. Although the outlands are usually considered marginal and peripheral, they have had

many different uses fundamental for the socioeconomic reproduction of the people inhabiting these areas. Nowadays,

much of the rural communities of northwest Iberia preserve a rich communal heritage. This heritage is in danger of disap-

pearing under the new State policies aiming to suppress forms of common management and property and incorporate

them under the public domain. Our paper suggests that an applied archaeology might be useful for the defense of these

areas in many ways. First, understanding the history of the commons can enhance their legal and ethical legitimacy fun-

damental for their current defense by social actors. Second, by incorporating much needed archaeological knowledge on

the traditional forms of sustainable land exploitation into spatial planning policies. In advocating an applied archaeology

we move beyond a public archaeology as understood traditionally; instead of including or letting the community know

about our findings, we work with the community, embedding our research agenda in current sociopolitical concerns.

Different Forms of Resource Exploitation and Settlement in Mountainous Areas in Southern Norway during the Iron AgeKathrine Stene (University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen)

Results from archaeological and botanical investigations in mountainous and wooded areas in Southern Norway reveal an

increasing activity at the beginning of the Iron Age. During the Iron Age a multifaceted utilisation took place in these land-

scapes such as hunting and trapping, extraction of iron, and livestock grazing. The exploitation is most often interpreted

as seasonal occupation, seen in the context of the growing agrarian communities (farms) in low-lying areas. This led to

increasing demand for pasture and fodder, and mountain products that could be exchanged or traded for goods they could

not produce themselves. However, some of the material may indicate more permanent settlement. The archaeological ma-

terial and pollen analytical data from different mountainous areas show a number of similarities, but also some major and

interesting differences. The paper will focus on regional variations in the development and change of utilisation and settle-

ment in mountainous landscapes in Western and eastern Norway during the Iron Age, mainly the period AD 1600. Issues

to discuss will be whether resource exploitations and occupation were expression of variable agrarian-economic strategies

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amongst societies through time and space and/or whether they are expression of socio-political factors.

Early Tar Production and the Discovery of Swedish UplandsAndreas Hennius (Uppsala County Museum, Uppsala)

About ten years ago a new type of funnel shaped feature was discovered at settlements sites from Roman Iron Age