Resource Competition and Settlement Distribution in Bronze Age Greece

C.S. Jazwa*, K.A. Jazwa*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)399-418
Number of pages20
JournalHuman Ecology (New York): an interdisciplinary journal
Volume50
Issue number3
Early online date18 Jun 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2022

Keywords

  • Bronze Age Greece
  • Settlement patterns
  • Ideal free distribution
  • Mycenaean Archaeology
  • Human behavioral ecology
  • IDEAL FREE
  • BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
  • MIGRATION
  • DESPOTISM
  • PATTERNS
  • EAST

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