Content:
Since introduction of Wallerstein´s world-system theory into prehistoric archaeology, core and periphery are recognised as relevant concepts of our inquiry. Their definition is, however, highly contextualised and should be perceived in terms of human-environmental networks. Operating on the meso-scale of regions and landscapes the periphery may cover various entities: sub-alpine zones, woody highlands, wetlands distant from the core as well as closer situated inner or semi-peripheries.
Peripheral regions of prehistoric occupation naturally remain aside from the main interest of scholars as the archaeological record in these areas is usually qualitatively and quantitatively limited in comparison to core regions. Although contemporary archaeology acknowledges a patchy structure of prehistoric occupation, we are still missing a comprehensive attitude towards the research of peripheral regions that would provide a complex image of past societies.
In our session we wish to go beyond Wallerstein´s world-systems approach which is based mostly on economic dependency and surplus distribution. We will try to explore the environmental determination of periphery and subsistence strategies that local communities might adapt. Did communities on periphery undergo a loss of social and economic complexity? Can we observe different dynamics of cultural processes on periphery and core? Are there any general patterns in periphery (re-)colonisation? Was the contact with core vital for communities living on periphery?
We welcome papers that address these issues through various periods, socio-economic systems, and inhabited environments of prehistoric temperate Europe. We would like to invite researchers who study such themes not only in the scope of archaeology, but also in natural scientific methods. In particular, we welcome contributions that integrate these approaches synergistically to provide a holistic understanding of peripheral regions.
Keywords:
periphery, prehistory, environment, settlement structure