Program > By author > Sarunic Joseph

Social networking has become a widely used term in modern times due to online tools such as Facebook or Twitter. However, to an archaeologist – social networks are at the core of their research. Finding correlations, cultural influences and addressing questions reconnecting socio-economic networks from the past by looking at fragmented material evidence, has always been one of the main driving forces of archaeological research. Despite that, Social Network Analysis (SNA), a well-established method in social sciences, is still at an incipient stage regarding theoretical application to archaeology. This paper presents a maritime network model as a potential instrument to reconstruct the colonisation of Eastern Adriatic islands by integrating spatial and non-spatial patterns of cultural connectivity. The paper will use two comparative sets of data – the maritime Neolithisation process and the Greek maritime colonisation of the Eastern Adriatic islands. Assuming that the information about the Greek expansion process is more detailed, this study intends to highlight the patterns described by Greek maritime mobility in the Adriatic. The Greek connectivity model will be used as a proxy for Neolithisation, helping to create a more accurate and reliable Neolithisation model. Ultimately, the Neolithisation model will allow a better visualisation of the flow of material goods, information, power, influence, and social control. Furthermore, this process will analyse the ancient Mediterranean maritime landscape not just geographically but also socially.