Papers by Owain Morris
Archaeological Networks and Social Interaction, 2020
In this paper I respond to Carl Knappett's key note address at a session held at the EAA in Maast... more In this paper I respond to Carl Knappett's key note address at a session held at the EAA in Maastricht 2017 (which I co-organised) titled "Archaeological Networks and Social Interaction". The focus was on moving away from the dominance of spatial approaches in archaeological studies that use social network theory (SNA). Following Knappett, I examine the potential that "Strathernograms" have in understanding the feasting practices of Iron Age Tyrrhenian Italy.
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Perego, E., and Scopacasa, R., (2016). (eds.). Burial and social change in first-millennium BC Italy: approaching social agents. Gender, personhood and marginality. Oxbow., 2016
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Conceptualising early Colonisation., 2016
The arrival of the Greeks in Campania is regarded as a key event in archaic history. Permanent se... more The arrival of the Greeks in Campania is regarded as a key event in archaic history. Permanent settlement was preceded by periods of furtive trade and exchange under the term pre-colonization. The establishment of Pithekoussai on Ischia followed by a move to the mainland at Cuma is explained as marking a change from ‘pre-‘ to full colonial status. This expansion to the mainland was motivated by the lack of an agricultural chora at Pithekoussai leading to interactions with local groups on the mainland in order to procure food (Cerchiai 2010, 1995). Amongst these sites was pre-hellenic Cuma.
This indigenous settlement plays an important role within the narrative constructed for ancient Campania. The indigenous sites of Campania have been placed on a hierarchy of development, with pre-hellenic Cuma at the top, deemed to be more advanced than its contemporaries (Cerchiai 2010, D’Agostino 2008). This rests largely on its geographic location opposite Ischia and later status as a Greek colony rather than obvious technological superiority. Euboian Greeks are portrayed as taking control of this hilltop settlement through a violent and forceful push from Ischia (D’Agostino, 2006). This is based on ancient literary accounts which are much later in date and far from clear.
The physical evidence for this is further questionable. A lacuna between the pre-hellenic and Greek graves and a destruction level postulated for one side of the acropolis sustained the hypothesis of the indigenous settlement being wiped out and replaced by the Greek colony. New ceramic evidence from the necropolis and a domestic context suggests instead that when Cuma was founded Greeks and indigenes were living side-by-side (Greco and Mermati, 2010). The destruction level now appears the result of a later change in the Roman period that muddled the stratigraphy.
The picture of a settlement “born from a show of strength by the Greeks at the expense of the indigenous Opician inhabitants” (D’Agostino, 2008) can now no longer be sustained. A more complex picture thus requires a more nuanced interpretation. This paper will re-examine the establishment of Cuma in the wake of the new approaches to the Mediterranean (Malkin, 2011, Riva 2010, Hodos 2009, 2010, Horden and Purcell, 2000). Central to this will be a focus on networks, particularly the model of strong and weak ties (Granovetter, 1973, 1983). This paper proposes that rather than an act of violence, ties between elites enabled the formation of mixed communities and mixed cultures, and through the establishment of weak ties new opportunities were made available to both Greeks and indigenes alike.
Location: Contextualising “early Colonisation”: Archaeology, Sources, Chronology and interpretative models between Italy and the Mediterranean In memory of David Ridgway (1938-2012) Rome, Valle Giulia Academia Belgica, Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut, British School at Rome June, 21-23 2012
More Info: http://www.academiabelgica.it.cloud.seeweb.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234&Itemid=154&lang=it
Event Date: Jun 23, 2012
Conference End Date: Jun 23, 2012
Conference Start Date: Jun 21, 2012
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Book Reviews by Owain Morris
Journal of Hellenic Studies, 2016
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Talks by Owain Morris
Presentation given at the conference: "La interculturalidad del Mundo Antiguo en los espacios de... more Presentation given at the conference: "La interculturalidad del Mundo Antiguo en los espacios de contacto: un enfoque de Género. Instituto catalán de arqueología Clásica 20 de enero de 2022" organised by Jesús Carruesco García and Elena Duce Pastor (20-21 January, 2022).
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Archaeological Networks and Social Interaction
This presentation was given in Maastricht in September 2017 at the EAA in a session (which I co-o... more This presentation was given in Maastricht in September 2017 at the EAA in a session (which I co-organised) titled "Archaeological Networks and Social Interaction". The focus of the session was on moving away from the dominance of spatial approaches in archaeological studies that use social network theory (SNA).
In this presentation I used a network approach based on Mark Granovetter's concept of strong and weak ties to examine the so-called "Princely Tombs" of EIA-Orientalising Italy (8th-7th centuries BC). I attempted to investigate the social networks behind the figures in these tombs. By focusing on Pontecagnano as a case study I questioned how Greek this "princely" tomb culture was. Furthermore, I discussed the role of feasts, poets and artisans in the social networks behind these burials and the spread of Homeric ideas and objects.
This presentation was later changed and adapted into a book chapter (published in 2020) where I responded to Carl Knappett's key note address at the session. Following Knappett, I examined the potential that "Strathernograms" have in understanding the feasting practices of Iron Age Tyrrhenian Italy. This chapter included a full literarture review of anthropological approaches to feasting, exchange and dynamics around gift-giving.
Original Abstract:
"Founded in the mid 8th century BC on the Bay of Naples, Cuma is assumed to have been predominantly Greek in character and constituted some form of colonial settlement (D’Agostino 2006, Cerchiai 1995). An extremely ostentatious burial at Cuma (Fondo Artiaco 104) is believed to have inspired the so-called ‘Princely tomb’ phenomenon in Italy. According to this widely-held view, similar burial types spread first from Greece into Campania and then onto Lazio and Etruria. Current interpretations of this elite funerary culture over-privilege the Greek role and rarely explore the social contexts or actors involved in the movement of such ideas. Seeking to redress this imbalance, this paper will examine a sample of these ‘princely’ burials to produce a network based on their grave good assemblages. The apparent Greek influence over this funerary culture will also be analysed. As the theme of this session indicates, the spatial has tended to dominate over the social in archaeological applications of Network ideas (Knappett 2013, Collar et al 2015). I aim to go beyond a mere geographical network of the connections these burials had, so as to identify the contexts this funerary culture was exchanged in and the social actors who enabled this material mobility. Consideration will also be made as to the frequency of this contact and how certain individuals may have acted akin to Granovetter’s (1973, 1983) weak ties to provide the ‘princes’ access to this orientalizing material culture."
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This presentation was given at the CEC conference held at the British School at Rome in June 2012... more This presentation was given at the CEC conference held at the British School at Rome in June 2012 (Contextualising “early Colonisation”: Archaeology, Sources, Chronology and interpretative models between Italy and the Mediterranean. In memory of David Ridgway (1938-2012). Rome, Valle Giulia, Academia Belgica, Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut, British School at Rome June, 21-23 2012).
The focus of the presentation was on a rexamination of the foundation of Greek Cumae and the status of the "prehellenic" settlement that preceded the colony. I questioned the idea that Greek Cumae was founded following a destruction of the indigenous/prehellenic settlement and highlighted that the ancient literary accounts this view is based on are much later in date and far from clear and the physical evidence for this destruction hypothesis remains limited and patchy. New ceramic evidence from the necropolis and a domestic context suggests instead that when Cumae was founded Greeks and indigenes were living side-by-side.
This more complex picture enabled me to put forward a more nuanced interpretation by including new approaches to Mediterranean space (Malkin, 2011, Riva 2010, Hodos 2009, 2010, Horden and Purcell, 2000) and a consideration of the role networks played (especially Granovetter's idea of strong and weak ties, 1973, 1983) in producing a mixed community and mixed culture on the Tyrrhenian coast in the Early Iron Age.
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This paper focused on the Princely tombs found in Campania and argued against the widely held vie... more This paper focused on the Princely tombs found in Campania and argued against the widely held view that these were the result of external impetus. Taking its lead from from new understandings of the ancient Mediterranean (Hodos, 2009 & 2010; Riva 2010) and wider theoretical approaches to the movement of goods and people, such as Networks (Castells, 2001; Malkin et al, 2007; Brughmans, 2010), this paper re-examined these tombs and their contents against the idea of strong and weak ties (Granovetter, 1973).
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CFP by Owain Morris
This call for papers is for the forthcoming session entitled "Archaeological networks and social ... more This call for papers is for the forthcoming session entitled "Archaeological networks and social interaction. Towards an application of network analysis and network concepts in social archaeology" to be held at the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) in Maastricht
August 30th- September, 3rd 2017.
A few slots are available for this session to present alongside our confirmed speakers.
The key note lecture for the session will be given by CARL KNAPPETT.
The session's format is "discussion session", where the participants read the key note paper (to be made available ca. one month before the conference), and in their own presentation they then seek to engage with the issues outlined in the key note paper.
We are seeking contributions that present a case study where formal network analysis is used to study social interaction in the past. We are especially interested in studies on the margins of the Classical World/late Antique/Medieval or early modern contexts in or outside Europe.
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For our upcoming session at the annual conference of the European Association of Archaeologists, ... more For our upcoming session at the annual conference of the European Association of Archaeologists, August 30th- September, 3rd 2017 in Maastricht (NL), we have a few slots available in our session:
Archaeological networks and social interaction. Towards an application of network analysis and network concepts in social archaeology
The key note lecture for the session will be given by CARL KNAPPETT
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Conference Presentations and Talks by Owain Morris
35th AEMTH conference, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 9-10 March 2023, 2023
The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the finds from our survey and excavation campaign... more The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the finds from our survey and excavation campaign carried out at Agios Georgios (Grevena) in August-September 2022 under the direction and supervision of the Ephoria of Antiquities of Grevena and its director Dr Sonia Dimaki, in collaboration with the members of the ArPA and Landscape Archaeology research groups at the Catalan Institute of Archaeology in Tarragona. During our campaign an impressive quantity of good-quality marble fragments was found. The marble testifies to several stages of production and may indicate the existence of a marble processing site, possibly connected to a late antique villa/farmstead. Some points of discussion and hypothesis regarding the nature of the finds will be put forward; however, the finds here presented are in course of investigation and the results are preliminary at this stage
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Papers by Owain Morris
This indigenous settlement plays an important role within the narrative constructed for ancient Campania. The indigenous sites of Campania have been placed on a hierarchy of development, with pre-hellenic Cuma at the top, deemed to be more advanced than its contemporaries (Cerchiai 2010, D’Agostino 2008). This rests largely on its geographic location opposite Ischia and later status as a Greek colony rather than obvious technological superiority. Euboian Greeks are portrayed as taking control of this hilltop settlement through a violent and forceful push from Ischia (D’Agostino, 2006). This is based on ancient literary accounts which are much later in date and far from clear.
The physical evidence for this is further questionable. A lacuna between the pre-hellenic and Greek graves and a destruction level postulated for one side of the acropolis sustained the hypothesis of the indigenous settlement being wiped out and replaced by the Greek colony. New ceramic evidence from the necropolis and a domestic context suggests instead that when Cuma was founded Greeks and indigenes were living side-by-side (Greco and Mermati, 2010). The destruction level now appears the result of a later change in the Roman period that muddled the stratigraphy.
The picture of a settlement “born from a show of strength by the Greeks at the expense of the indigenous Opician inhabitants” (D’Agostino, 2008) can now no longer be sustained. A more complex picture thus requires a more nuanced interpretation. This paper will re-examine the establishment of Cuma in the wake of the new approaches to the Mediterranean (Malkin, 2011, Riva 2010, Hodos 2009, 2010, Horden and Purcell, 2000). Central to this will be a focus on networks, particularly the model of strong and weak ties (Granovetter, 1973, 1983). This paper proposes that rather than an act of violence, ties between elites enabled the formation of mixed communities and mixed cultures, and through the establishment of weak ties new opportunities were made available to both Greeks and indigenes alike.
Location: Contextualising “early Colonisation”: Archaeology, Sources, Chronology and interpretative models between Italy and the Mediterranean In memory of David Ridgway (1938-2012) Rome, Valle Giulia Academia Belgica, Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut, British School at Rome June, 21-23 2012
More Info: http://www.academiabelgica.it.cloud.seeweb.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234&Itemid=154&lang=it
Event Date: Jun 23, 2012
Conference End Date: Jun 23, 2012
Conference Start Date: Jun 21, 2012
Book Reviews by Owain Morris
Talks by Owain Morris
In this presentation I used a network approach based on Mark Granovetter's concept of strong and weak ties to examine the so-called "Princely Tombs" of EIA-Orientalising Italy (8th-7th centuries BC). I attempted to investigate the social networks behind the figures in these tombs. By focusing on Pontecagnano as a case study I questioned how Greek this "princely" tomb culture was. Furthermore, I discussed the role of feasts, poets and artisans in the social networks behind these burials and the spread of Homeric ideas and objects.
This presentation was later changed and adapted into a book chapter (published in 2020) where I responded to Carl Knappett's key note address at the session. Following Knappett, I examined the potential that "Strathernograms" have in understanding the feasting practices of Iron Age Tyrrhenian Italy. This chapter included a full literarture review of anthropological approaches to feasting, exchange and dynamics around gift-giving.
Original Abstract:
"Founded in the mid 8th century BC on the Bay of Naples, Cuma is assumed to have been predominantly Greek in character and constituted some form of colonial settlement (D’Agostino 2006, Cerchiai 1995). An extremely ostentatious burial at Cuma (Fondo Artiaco 104) is believed to have inspired the so-called ‘Princely tomb’ phenomenon in Italy. According to this widely-held view, similar burial types spread first from Greece into Campania and then onto Lazio and Etruria. Current interpretations of this elite funerary culture over-privilege the Greek role and rarely explore the social contexts or actors involved in the movement of such ideas. Seeking to redress this imbalance, this paper will examine a sample of these ‘princely’ burials to produce a network based on their grave good assemblages. The apparent Greek influence over this funerary culture will also be analysed. As the theme of this session indicates, the spatial has tended to dominate over the social in archaeological applications of Network ideas (Knappett 2013, Collar et al 2015). I aim to go beyond a mere geographical network of the connections these burials had, so as to identify the contexts this funerary culture was exchanged in and the social actors who enabled this material mobility. Consideration will also be made as to the frequency of this contact and how certain individuals may have acted akin to Granovetter’s (1973, 1983) weak ties to provide the ‘princes’ access to this orientalizing material culture."
The focus of the presentation was on a rexamination of the foundation of Greek Cumae and the status of the "prehellenic" settlement that preceded the colony. I questioned the idea that Greek Cumae was founded following a destruction of the indigenous/prehellenic settlement and highlighted that the ancient literary accounts this view is based on are much later in date and far from clear and the physical evidence for this destruction hypothesis remains limited and patchy. New ceramic evidence from the necropolis and a domestic context suggests instead that when Cumae was founded Greeks and indigenes were living side-by-side.
This more complex picture enabled me to put forward a more nuanced interpretation by including new approaches to Mediterranean space (Malkin, 2011, Riva 2010, Hodos 2009, 2010, Horden and Purcell, 2000) and a consideration of the role networks played (especially Granovetter's idea of strong and weak ties, 1973, 1983) in producing a mixed community and mixed culture on the Tyrrhenian coast in the Early Iron Age.
CFP by Owain Morris
August 30th- September, 3rd 2017.
A few slots are available for this session to present alongside our confirmed speakers.
The key note lecture for the session will be given by CARL KNAPPETT.
The session's format is "discussion session", where the participants read the key note paper (to be made available ca. one month before the conference), and in their own presentation they then seek to engage with the issues outlined in the key note paper.
We are seeking contributions that present a case study where formal network analysis is used to study social interaction in the past. We are especially interested in studies on the margins of the Classical World/late Antique/Medieval or early modern contexts in or outside Europe.
Archaeological networks and social interaction. Towards an application of network analysis and network concepts in social archaeology
The key note lecture for the session will be given by CARL KNAPPETT
Conference Presentations and Talks by Owain Morris
This indigenous settlement plays an important role within the narrative constructed for ancient Campania. The indigenous sites of Campania have been placed on a hierarchy of development, with pre-hellenic Cuma at the top, deemed to be more advanced than its contemporaries (Cerchiai 2010, D’Agostino 2008). This rests largely on its geographic location opposite Ischia and later status as a Greek colony rather than obvious technological superiority. Euboian Greeks are portrayed as taking control of this hilltop settlement through a violent and forceful push from Ischia (D’Agostino, 2006). This is based on ancient literary accounts which are much later in date and far from clear.
The physical evidence for this is further questionable. A lacuna between the pre-hellenic and Greek graves and a destruction level postulated for one side of the acropolis sustained the hypothesis of the indigenous settlement being wiped out and replaced by the Greek colony. New ceramic evidence from the necropolis and a domestic context suggests instead that when Cuma was founded Greeks and indigenes were living side-by-side (Greco and Mermati, 2010). The destruction level now appears the result of a later change in the Roman period that muddled the stratigraphy.
The picture of a settlement “born from a show of strength by the Greeks at the expense of the indigenous Opician inhabitants” (D’Agostino, 2008) can now no longer be sustained. A more complex picture thus requires a more nuanced interpretation. This paper will re-examine the establishment of Cuma in the wake of the new approaches to the Mediterranean (Malkin, 2011, Riva 2010, Hodos 2009, 2010, Horden and Purcell, 2000). Central to this will be a focus on networks, particularly the model of strong and weak ties (Granovetter, 1973, 1983). This paper proposes that rather than an act of violence, ties between elites enabled the formation of mixed communities and mixed cultures, and through the establishment of weak ties new opportunities were made available to both Greeks and indigenes alike.
Location: Contextualising “early Colonisation”: Archaeology, Sources, Chronology and interpretative models between Italy and the Mediterranean In memory of David Ridgway (1938-2012) Rome, Valle Giulia Academia Belgica, Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut, British School at Rome June, 21-23 2012
More Info: http://www.academiabelgica.it.cloud.seeweb.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234&Itemid=154&lang=it
Event Date: Jun 23, 2012
Conference End Date: Jun 23, 2012
Conference Start Date: Jun 21, 2012
In this presentation I used a network approach based on Mark Granovetter's concept of strong and weak ties to examine the so-called "Princely Tombs" of EIA-Orientalising Italy (8th-7th centuries BC). I attempted to investigate the social networks behind the figures in these tombs. By focusing on Pontecagnano as a case study I questioned how Greek this "princely" tomb culture was. Furthermore, I discussed the role of feasts, poets and artisans in the social networks behind these burials and the spread of Homeric ideas and objects.
This presentation was later changed and adapted into a book chapter (published in 2020) where I responded to Carl Knappett's key note address at the session. Following Knappett, I examined the potential that "Strathernograms" have in understanding the feasting practices of Iron Age Tyrrhenian Italy. This chapter included a full literarture review of anthropological approaches to feasting, exchange and dynamics around gift-giving.
Original Abstract:
"Founded in the mid 8th century BC on the Bay of Naples, Cuma is assumed to have been predominantly Greek in character and constituted some form of colonial settlement (D’Agostino 2006, Cerchiai 1995). An extremely ostentatious burial at Cuma (Fondo Artiaco 104) is believed to have inspired the so-called ‘Princely tomb’ phenomenon in Italy. According to this widely-held view, similar burial types spread first from Greece into Campania and then onto Lazio and Etruria. Current interpretations of this elite funerary culture over-privilege the Greek role and rarely explore the social contexts or actors involved in the movement of such ideas. Seeking to redress this imbalance, this paper will examine a sample of these ‘princely’ burials to produce a network based on their grave good assemblages. The apparent Greek influence over this funerary culture will also be analysed. As the theme of this session indicates, the spatial has tended to dominate over the social in archaeological applications of Network ideas (Knappett 2013, Collar et al 2015). I aim to go beyond a mere geographical network of the connections these burials had, so as to identify the contexts this funerary culture was exchanged in and the social actors who enabled this material mobility. Consideration will also be made as to the frequency of this contact and how certain individuals may have acted akin to Granovetter’s (1973, 1983) weak ties to provide the ‘princes’ access to this orientalizing material culture."
The focus of the presentation was on a rexamination of the foundation of Greek Cumae and the status of the "prehellenic" settlement that preceded the colony. I questioned the idea that Greek Cumae was founded following a destruction of the indigenous/prehellenic settlement and highlighted that the ancient literary accounts this view is based on are much later in date and far from clear and the physical evidence for this destruction hypothesis remains limited and patchy. New ceramic evidence from the necropolis and a domestic context suggests instead that when Cumae was founded Greeks and indigenes were living side-by-side.
This more complex picture enabled me to put forward a more nuanced interpretation by including new approaches to Mediterranean space (Malkin, 2011, Riva 2010, Hodos 2009, 2010, Horden and Purcell, 2000) and a consideration of the role networks played (especially Granovetter's idea of strong and weak ties, 1973, 1983) in producing a mixed community and mixed culture on the Tyrrhenian coast in the Early Iron Age.
August 30th- September, 3rd 2017.
A few slots are available for this session to present alongside our confirmed speakers.
The key note lecture for the session will be given by CARL KNAPPETT.
The session's format is "discussion session", where the participants read the key note paper (to be made available ca. one month before the conference), and in their own presentation they then seek to engage with the issues outlined in the key note paper.
We are seeking contributions that present a case study where formal network analysis is used to study social interaction in the past. We are especially interested in studies on the margins of the Classical World/late Antique/Medieval or early modern contexts in or outside Europe.
Archaeological networks and social interaction. Towards an application of network analysis and network concepts in social archaeology
The key note lecture for the session will be given by CARL KNAPPETT