Does the 'Economic Explanation' Work? Settlement, Agriculture and Erosion in the Territory of Halieis in the Late Classical-Early Hellenistic Period

Authors

  • Phoebe E. Acheson University of Ciccinnati

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v10i2.165

Keywords:

economy, agriculture

Abstract

This paper examines the landscape and archaeological sites around fourth- and third-century BC Halieis, in the Southern Argolid, Greece, exploring the ancient agricultural economy in all its socio-economic variety and micro-environmental variability. It is a re-study of the Late Classical Early Hellenistic period as described in the publications of the Southern Argolid Survey, and challenges conclusions drawn there about the economic focus of this region, its predominant agricultural practices, and the relationship between settlement expansion and soil erosion. It is suggested that previous publications have emphasized the construction of general models to the neglect of analysis of specific historical situations. In-depth analysis of data from a regional study project of the sort undertaken here, concentrating on the historical and economic situation of one specific period, can allow a nuanced and detailed understanding of human-land interactions, especially if archaeological and environmental information is synthesized.

Author Biography

  • Phoebe E. Acheson, University of Ciccinnati
    Phoebe Acheson received an AB from Bryn Mawr College in 1994, and an MA from the University of Cincinnati in 1997. She is now a PhD candidate in the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati. In addition to rural settlement and geoarchaeology, her archaeological interests include Mycenaean state formation and Aegean metallurgy. She has participated in field projects in Greece, Israel, Sicily and the United States.

Published

1998-03-01

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Acheson, P. E. (1998). Does the ’Economic Explanation’ Work? Settlement, Agriculture and Erosion in the Territory of Halieis in the Late Classical-Early Hellenistic Period. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 10(2), 165-190. https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v10i2.165