Etruscan trade with the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Compared to regions to the west and north of Etruria, Etruscan exports in the archaeological record of the southern and eastern Mediterranean are far less numerous. They have received less scholarly attention and have been dealt with in a somewhat disjointed fashion. This thesis has compiled a catalogue of all such objects to the south and east of Etruria in order to look at the phenomenon more globally. A database attached to a GIS has allowed for the display of all this material on maps, and for patterns in the amount, type and chronology of Etruscan exports to be displayed and interpreted. Objects from the most abundant ceramic fabrics - bucchero, Etrusco-Corinthian and transport amphorae - are discussed first. After an exploration of Etruscan exports region-by-region, the text returns to those classes of material which appear to have carried significant cultural information with them, especially fibulae and bucchero kantharoi. A final synthesis considers changes in the amount and type of Etruscan material exported over time to various parts of the southern and eastern Mediterranean, and explores the nature of the relationships with the principal trade partners of the Etruscan: Greeks and Phoenicians. An Appendix presents the catalogue of all the finds, along with illustrations of each object, where available.