Pottery Consumption and Hellenistic Globalisation Bottom-up

01/04/2026 to 31/03/2029

Wider research context / theoretical framework: The project examines processes of Hellenistic globalisation (330-30 BC) by foregrounding the active production of locality in urbanised rural areas of the Mediterranean. Drawing on Appadurai's theory of locality and assemblage thinking, it introduces a triadic framework that conceptualises the local as the situated interplay of cosmopolitanism, traditionalism and regionalism. This model challenges dominant topdown perspectives that view rural communities as passive recipients of globalising trends, emphasising instead their role in shaping material cultures and identities.
Hypotheses / objectives: The central hypothesis is that ceramic consumption patterns reflect complex discursive-material regimes and can reveal how rural actors engaged with globalising dynamics. The project aims to (1) develop and refine the Pottery Consumption Profile (PCP) tool as a quantitative proxy for culturally embedded consumption practices, and (2) apply this tool within a comparative, multi-case framework to empirically explore the materialisation of locality at four Hellenistic sites: Monte Iato, Lousoi, Cossyra and Pompeii.
Approach / methods: By combining stratigraphic excavation, digital quantification and socio-topographical recontextualisation, the PCP tool translates ceramic data into visual diagrams that represent the triadic discourse of cosmopolitanism, traditionalism and regionalism. The project uses radar charts to visualise pottery consumption profiles and validate them through hermeneutic multi-case analysis. Cross-site comparisons support the iterative refinement of both data modelling and theory. Each case study combines in-situ excavation, re-analysis of legacy data, and high-resolution contextualisation to trace shifts in ceramic use and spatial practice.
Level of originality / innovation: This is the first project to develop a discursively grounded, diagram-based tool for analysing Hellenistic pottery assemblages across multiple regions. By reframing ceramics as proxies for identity-forming discourses, the project offers an innovative approach to the study of ancient globalisation 'from below'. Its multi-scale methodology enables nuanced insights into rural agency, moving beyond conventional elite-centred narratives and contributing new comparative perspectives to the field of Mediterranean archaeology.
Primary researchers involved: The project is led by E. Kistler (University of Innsbruck) and will be conducted in collaboration with national research partner Ch. Baier (Austrian Academy of Sciences) and international co-applicants M. Mohr (University of Zurich) and F. Schön (University of Tübingen). The research team further includes experts in ceramic analysis, digital humanities, and Hellenistic archaeology. This interdisciplinary consortium combines long-standing excavation experience with theoretical and methodological innovation, aiming to achieve significant scholarly impact.