Beyond the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B interaction sphere

Author: Asouti, Eleni

Source: Journal of World Prehistory, Volume 20, Numbers 2-4, December 2006 , pp. 87-126(40)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

This article aims to provide a critical evaluation of the influence of the culture-historical paradigm in the Neolithic archaeology of Western Asia through the re-assessment of currently established theoretical concepts, notably the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) interaction sphere, demic diffusion and acculturation. It is argued that these concepts are too abstractly defined to enable meaningful insights into the dynamics of Early Neolithic societies. A different theoretical framework is needed in order to achieve an historical understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of regional socio-cultural interactions and population displacement. This framework begins with the detailed analysis of local patterns of social organization and exchange. Exchange itself is seen as a socially situated process that was integrally related to the negotiation and reproduction of collective identities during the Neolithic.

Keywords: Neolithic; Western Asia; Culture-history; PPNB interaction sphere; Diffusion; Exchange

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10963-007-9008-1

Affiliations: 1: Email: E.Asouti@liverpool.ac.uk

Publication date: 2006-12-01