Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant:: Competition, Resources, and the Consolidation of Social Complexity

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Under the supervision of Dr. John O'Shea, Emily Holt will conduct archaeological excavations and survey at the sites of Nuraghe Sa Conca Sa Cresia and Nuraghe Pranu Casti located on the Siddi Plateau in the Medio Campidano region of Sardinia. During Sardinia's Middle Bronze Age (1700-1365 BCE), small societies competed to consolidate their power, eventually resulting in the large complex societies of the Late (1365-1200 BCE) and Final (1200-1020 BCE) Bronze Age. During the Final Bronze Age, seemingly at the height of their power, these complex societies collapsed. At roughly the same time, the large states of the East Mediterranean also collapsed, suggesting that the Sardinian collapse occurred because the loss of trade with the East deprived the leaders of Sardinian societies with the resources they needed to maintain their power. However, alternative evidence suggests that the Sardinian collapse may have been caused by internal rather than external factors. Ancient pollen excavated from a large Late/Final Bronze Age site shows increasing deforestation and soil depletion; the worst environmental degradation coincides with the abandonment of the site. This evidence suggests that it was the ancient Sardinians' destruction of their resource base that caused their society to collapse. Holt's excavation and survey will document the relative importance of loss of trade with the East and environmental degradation in causing the Sardinian collapse, providing a case study of the relationship between internal and external factors in the development, consolidation, and loss of social complexity. It will also help define Sardinia's role in pan-Mediterranean trade networks, leading to an understanding of the Mediterranean Bronze Age that is less biased toward the East Mediterranean. Finally, environmental degradation has been observed in areas of Bronze Age Europe outside of Sardinia, suggesting that resource degradation may have been a widespread result of Bronze Age economic strategies. Holt's project will provide an example of the degree to which one Bronze Age community degraded its resource base and the ways in which it responded to the changing productive potential of its hinterland. In addition to addressing important anthropological questions, Holt's project will have broader impacts. It will introduce the archeological community to the rich possibilities for conducting research in Sardinia. The slow pace of industrial development on Sardinia has meant that Sardinia's archeological resources remain relatively accessible, however, archeologists must take advantage of these opportunities quickly before this important resource is destroyed. Holt's project will also create resources in Sardinia that will promote further archeological work. At the end of the project, all equipment purchased with NSF funds will be donated to the Museo Genna Maria, a small exhibit and research museum with space for artifact analysis, ceramic reconstruction, and library research as well as a small apartment to house visiting scholars. In spite of these resources, the Museo Genna Maria is underutilized due to its lack of a working computer and excavation equipment. Donating research equipment to the Museo Genna Maria will make it easier for the museum to conduct its own projects and support the efforts of foreign scholars working in Sardinia.