You are invited to an IIHSA Online Lecture on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 5.30 pm (Irish time) / 7.30 pm (Greek time)/12.30 (EST) by Luke Kaiser (PhD researcher, University of Arizona), ‘The Construction and Maintenance of Cooperative Institutions at Early Bronze Age Mochlos’.
Abstract: As established by the evidence from the Prepalatial cemetery, Mochlos was a socially ranked community with considerable access to the Early Bronze Age exchange network. This observation has prompted new research focused on illuminating the structure of the Prepalatial Mochlos community. During my graduate studies, I was tasked with studying the Early Bronze Age ceramic material from a series of Prepalatial households at Mochlos. Based on this research, I propose that the Mochlos community utilized social memory as a tool to generate cooperative institutions and maintain group cohesion. These institutions are reflected in the household assemblages through conformity to Western Anatolian and Cycladic pottery, textile, and metallurgical traditions and the adoption of Early and Middle Prepalatial wares from the Mirabello and the South Coast near Ierapetra. This balance created a uniquely Mochlosian culture that reinforced cooperative institutions by simultaneously connecting the community to its past and its present, both in their daily lives and through ceremonial activities in the cemetery. In the Late Prepalatial Period, however, Mochlos intensified their consumption of imported Mirabello wares and decreased their reliance on locally produced traditional pottery. This change in preference indicates a shift from the cooperative institutions of the Early and Middle Prepalatial period toward more individualistic, competitive institutions at Mochlos. This transition eroded group cohesion at Mochlos and may explain the decline in population that was evident at the beginning of the Protopalatial period.
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In case of any difficulties registering, please contact us: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com