This presentation was given in Maastricht in September 2017 at the EAA in a session (which I co-organised) titled "Archaeological Networks and Social Interaction". The focus of the session was on moving away from the dominance of spatial... more
This presentation was given in Maastricht in September 2017 at the EAA in a session (which I co-organised) titled "Archaeological Networks and Social Interaction". The focus of the session was on moving away from the dominance of spatial approaches in archaeological studies that use social network theory (SNA).
In this presentation I used a network approach based on Mark Granovetter's concept of strong and weak ties to examine the so-called "Princely Tombs" of EIA-Orientalising Italy (8th-7th centuries BC). I attempted to investigate the social networks behind the figures in these tombs. By focusing on Pontecagnano as a case study I questioned how Greek this "princely" tomb culture was. Furthermore, I discussed the role of feasts, poets and artisans in the social networks behind these burials and the spread of Homeric ideas and objects.
This presentation was later changed and adapted into a book chapter (published in 2020) where I responded to Carl Knappett's key note address at the session. Following Knappett, I examined the potential that "Strathernograms" have in understanding the feasting practices of Iron Age Tyrrhenian Italy. This chapter included a full literarture review of anthropological approaches to feasting, exchange and dynamics around gift-giving.
Original Abstract:
"Founded in the mid 8th century BC on the Bay of Naples, Cuma is assumed to have been predominantly Greek in character and constituted some form of colonial settlement (D’Agostino 2006, Cerchiai 1995). An extremely ostentatious burial at Cuma (Fondo Artiaco 104) is believed to have inspired the so-called ‘Princely tomb’ phenomenon in Italy. According to this widely-held view, similar burial types spread first from Greece into Campania and then onto Lazio and Etruria. Current interpretations of this elite funerary culture over-privilege the Greek role and rarely explore the social contexts or actors involved in the movement of such ideas. Seeking to redress this imbalance, this paper will examine a sample of these ‘princely’ burials to produce a network based on their grave good assemblages. The apparent Greek influence over this funerary culture will also be analysed. As the theme of this session indicates, the spatial has tended to dominate over the social in archaeological applications of Network ideas (Knappett 2013, Collar et al 2015). I aim to go beyond a mere geographical network of the connections these burials had, so as to identify the contexts this funerary culture was exchanged in and the social actors who enabled this material mobility. Consideration will also be made as to the frequency of this contact and how certain individuals may have acted akin to Granovetter’s (1973, 1983) weak ties to provide the ‘princes’ access to this orientalizing material culture."
This paper focuses on the innovation networks of high-technology Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) within a Science and Technology Park (STP). More specifically, the study examines the role of network ties in high-technology SMEs... more
This paper focuses on the innovation networks of high-technology Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) within a Science and Technology Park (STP). More specifically, the study examines the role of network ties in high-technology SMEs by focusing on the linkages employed by small businesses to learn, adapt to technological change, and innovate. The paper presents evidence from a recent survey of Brisbane Technology Park (BTP) and this illustrates how the competitiveness of local high-tech firms will be enhanced by the suggested model, which describes the need for oscillation between weak and strong ties at different stages of the innovation process and diffusion.
