Abstract
We apply the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) and Ideal Despotic Distribution (IDD) models to two Bronze Age (ca. 3100-1050 BCE) mainland Greek regions with different local ecologies and culture histories: Messenia and the Argolid. Using existing settlement data, we show that regions within the same cultural system contemporaneously fit different settlement patterns, reflecting distinct environmental adaptations. Such differences help to understand regional variations in resource access and competition. Although the highest-ranked habitats were settled first in each region, large-scale expansion to lower-ranked habitats occurred more quickly in the Argolid, likely because highly productive agricultural land was limited, resulting in a competitive focus on the Argive Plain. This contrasts with Messenia, where access to agricultural resources is better distributed. Our results demonstrate that applying ideal distribution models at a regional scale provides valuable information about the development of social complexity and the conditions in which it occurs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 399-418 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Human Ecology (New York): an interdisciplinary journal |
Volume | 50 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 18 Jun 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2022 |
Keywords
- Bronze Age Greece
- Settlement patterns
- Ideal free distribution
- Mycenaean Archaeology
- Human behavioral ecology
- IDEAL FREE
- BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
- MIGRATION
- DESPOTISM
- PATTERNS
- EAST