Abstract

Major changes in the urban organization of Cretan Bronze Age settlements occur around 1700 BC. This marks the beginning of the Neopalatial period, when Knossos reaches its peak size of 100 ha, and other sites, like Galatas and Gournia, become ‘palatial’ for the first time. The most direct way to assess the changing character of these settlements would be to analyse their internal organization, looking at street layout, public architecture, and the like. However, such data are currently lacking, with relatively little known on the street systems of the major towns such as Knossos, Malia, and Phaistos. However, pending further work on urban infrastructure, we do have some other options for assessing the organizational changes accompanying urbanization. First, we might look to possible shifts in the relations between communities – how are local networks affected by urbanization? Some scholars have suggested that Crete sees some significant changes in such networks during the Neopalatial period. Second, we can think at an even broader scale, and ask to what extent long-distance, off-island connections are implicated in changing urban dynamics. Certainly, off-island links do show some profound changes, with networks of a quite different character emerging in the Neopalatial period. Third, we might go to the other end of the scale and ask how the micro-scale is affected – and for this we could look at how communities are using artefacts and the built environment in their everyday lives. For this we can explore changes in object assemblages at the micro-scale – which do undergo some interesting changes too in the Neopalatial period. I will show how the use of network concepts at each of these levels can help produce a multi-scale perspective that has unrealized potential in generating new angles on the forms of connectivity characteristic of early urbanism.

Please note the lecture will take place at Moesgård Museum. The easiest way is to enter through the back entrance (see photo 1, photo 2 and photo 3 for directions).