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This paper examines the processes of settlement and abandonment of the medieval countryside as revealed by archaeological surveys undertaken in southern Greece. The Nemea region, the focus of an intensive archaeological survey, serves as a case study. Early archaeological surveys approached this time period primarily from a historical point of view. Political history provided the textual frame while the archaeological data were expected to “fill in” the gaps of the historical record. In contrast, in the last twenty-five years the second generation of surveys has taken an active interest in the archaeological documentation of the medieval countryside. The settlement trends observed in Nemea are viewed as manifestations of a variety of political, social, and economic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years there has been a growing interest in Mycenaean glass among archaeologists and scientists. Scholars have traditionally thought that all Mycenaean glass was imported either in finished form or as ingots and simply shaped or worked at the Mycenaean sites. Chemical studies of other Mycenaean glass () support the hypothesis that glass was imported into Mycenaean Greece, but there is also indication for glass production in mainland Greece at the palace of Thebes (). There is no evidence for glass making or working at the Palace of Pylos, yet there is an abundance of glass beads there. The aim of this paper is to identify the technology and source for the glass of these beads and thus to ascertain how Pylos was connected to the broader Mycenaean and Mediterranean economies. The composition of the glasses was determined by means of portable XRF analysis and compared to that of other Late Bronze Age glasses from Egypt, Mesopotamia and mainland Greece. Four blue beads coloured with cobalt and one blue bead coloured with copper have Ti and Zr compositions consistent with an Egyptian origin of manufacture while five other beads show Ti and Zr concentrations consistent with a Mesopotamian origin (). Based on the dearth of Egyptian and Mesopotamian imports in Pylos, the presented data support the hypothesis that Pylos was receiving via internal Greek trade routes foreign-produced glass, which may have been worked abroad or in Greece. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Instances of resilience and persistence in ancient societies during periods of climate stress are necessary as counter weights to simplified collapse archaeology. The authors offer an evaluation of societal trajectories during the Late Bronze Age (LBA) in the Peloponnese against the backdrop of recently available local climate data. By considering climate volatility as well as climate change, the long-term perspective suggests that the end of the LBA should be viewed in light of the socio-environmental mismatches that developed during its earlier phases. Varying socio-political complexity and population densities are preconditioning components for inherent resilience under climate stress and climate impacts cannot be determined by climate conditions alone. While arid climate does not equal negative societal change, beneficial climate conditions may be favourable in the relative short term while at the same time supporting an ultimately unsustainable economy that proved detrimental in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]