Early metapontum narratives and practices Maddalena Scarperi

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Scarperi, Maddalena, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Ancient History., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ancient history.

Archaeology.

Classical studies.

Cultural anthropology.

0579.

0324.

0434.

0326.

Local Subjects:

Ancient history.

Archaeology.

Classical studies.

Cultural anthropology.

0579.

0324.

0434.

0326.

Genre:

Academic theses

Physical Description:

1 online resource (412 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 87-12A

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2026

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This work takes a postcolonial and multi-scalar approach to the study of textual sources and material evidence from the ancient (seventh- to second-century BCE) settlement of Metapontum (Basilicata, Italy). First, the assumption that Greek textual sources solely illuminate "Greek" perceptions and experiences is questioned. This work argues that while these texts were largely informed by the perspectives of Greek-speaking people, the discourses and stories they preserve also show some marginalized but extant traces of the ongoing processes of transculturation taking place in this coastal settlement. What hides behind the surface of these texts, then, is a social world where multilingualism, codeswitching, and the creative negotiation of cultural codes and social identities belonged to the daily experiences of those dwelling there, permanently or only temporarily. Second, this work shifts the focus of previous interpretations of the archaeological data from the chora of Metapontum from ethnicity to practices. Rather than making assumptions or deriving conclusions about the geographical origins and ethnic identity of the people who lived in these landscapes, the second part of the dissertation examines various sets of archaeological material from the chora and other sites in the region as evidence for sets of practices, sequences of actions, and their transfer across the communities in the region. Based on this analysis, it is argued that the ecological diversity of the region occasioned the emergence of a latticework of connections which facilitated a multidirectional, adaptive transfer of processual knowledge across communities. Far from environmentally determined, the ecological interdependence of these sites was subject to change based on shifting social, economic, and historical circumstances. Additionally, the skeletal evidence from the chora reveals that the organization of labor and the dietary practices there were different in certain respects from those at other regional sites.

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-12, Section: A.

Advisors: McInerney, Jeremy J.; Bowes, Kimberly D. Committee members: Wilker, Julia L.

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2026

Vendor supplied data

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798247983255

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license