The study of connectivity and interaction in the Mediterranean world is a rich and vibrant topic. While most direct attestations of past interaction have been lost, we can use the ubiquity of material markers such as ceramic tablewares to trace the structures and underlying drivers of past networks. In this paper, we use an innovative combination of least cost path analysis and mutual information to explore the relative contributions of geographical proximity and potential social, economic, and political factors underlying the distributions of material culture. We apply this method to a case study using the ICRATES dataset of tablewares from the eastern Mediterranean in late Hellenistic and early Roman times (150 BCE – 50 CE). By exploring the multifaceted factors shaping these distributions, we enrich our understanding of ancient economies and trade networks, as well as provide further insight into broader questions of (cultural) exchange and power dynamics in the ancient world. Through this novel approach, we hope to pave the way for future research endeavours that seek to unravel the intricate threads of connectivity shaping past and present human societies.

中文翻译：

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解开连通性的线索：追踪希腊化晚期和罗马地中海早期物质网络的互信息方法


地中海世界的连通性和互动研究是一个丰富而充满活力的话题。虽然过去互动的大多数直接证据已经丢失，但我们可以使用无处不在的材料标记（如陶瓷餐具）来追踪过去网络的结构和潜在驱动力。在本文中，我们使用最低成本路径分析和互信息的创新组合来探索地理邻近性的相对贡献以及物质文化分布背后的潜在社会、经济和政治因素。我们将这种方法应用于使用希腊化晚期和罗马时代早期（公元前 150 年至公元 50 年）东地中海餐具的 ICRATES 数据集的案例研究。通过探索塑造这些分布的多方面因素，我们丰富了对古代经济和贸易网络的理解，并为古代世界（文化）交流和权力动态等更广泛的问题提供了进一步的见解。通过这种新颖的方法，我们希望为未来的研究工作铺平道路，这些研究工作旨在解开塑造过去和现在人类社会的错综复杂的联系线索。