Material culture and people. Some methodological remarks on the study of Aeolian Middle Bronze Age settlement contexts

Abstract

The Aeolian Middle Bronze Age settlements (Milazzese facies) have been object of interest by scholars dealing with the prehistory of both central and eastern Mediterranean. Different facets of the archaeological documentation have been taken into account, especially the presence of ceramic Aegean imports. These have allowed scholars to set the Aeolian islands against the backdrop of the Bronze Age Mediterranean-wide movements of people and goods. While Aegean-related evidences have gained privileged attention, a closer look to the local cultural context(s) and to the way(s) in which material culture is used with different purposes in every- day tasks, has been underestimated (in this author’s opinion). This paper presents some preliminary results stemming from the author’s ongoing PhD research program focused on the analysis of the evidences from the Aeolian Middle Bronze Age villages. In the framework of a context-oriented approach, the paper will attempt to show how and to what extent we can gain insight both in the daily life and, generally speaking, in the social facets of the Milazzese period communities. This will be accomplished by taking into account not just one, but all the types of archaeological evidences available, from settlements planning to the dimensional features of the cabins, from the study of the complex material culture’s patterning at the site level to the integration of foreign artefacts into local daily practices.