Dissertation by Philip A Johnston
This dissertation uses scientific analysis of pottery to examine social and economic process at a... more This dissertation uses scientific analysis of pottery to examine social and economic process at a Phoenician colony in the Bay of Cádiz, Spain. Previous research on the Phoenician colonial economies has neglected social and diachronic dynamics, due to a lack of adequate data and proper theoretical frameworks. I address these shortcomings by examining the relative effect of the colonial encounter on Phoenician and indigenous potters, and studying changes in the organization of production over the duration of the Phoenician colonization. I accomplish this using a ‘colonial economic history,’ which combines a critical postcolonial perspective, anthropological methods for the study of production and knowledge transmission, and scientific (chemical, microscopic) data. I apply this approach to 169 pottery fragments from the site of El Castillo de Doña Blanca (CDB). The sample is structured to allow a comparison of Phoenician and indigenous practices, and of four chronological phases spanning the 8th to 6th centuries BCE. Visual examination of the samples combined with Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), portable X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF), and petrographic microscopy provides a basis for identifying technological practices and trends related to raw material use, vessel formation, and surface treatment. These in turn are used to infer the organization of production, and continuity in knowledge transmission among potters. The results shed light on the effect that the colonial environment had on the activities of both indigenous and Phoenician producers, as well as on CDB’s economic development, between c. 750 and 550 BCE.
Papers by Philip A Johnston
L.R. Gosner - J. Hayne (eds.) Local Experiences of Connectivity and Mobility in the Ancient West-Central Mediterranean. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 185-211, 2024
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Our paper examines the evidence for ... more https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=3197-2744-4
Our paper examines the evidence for rapid hybridization that marks the earliest phases of Phoenician presence in the Bay of Cadiz in c. 800-600 BC. As early as 700 BC, we argue, a local culture had already appeared that was no longer Phoenician or Iberian, but already gadirita. To support this, a wide array of evidence is examined, including ceramic production, domestic and funerary architecture and consumption patterns, as well as genetic data. Drawing on postcolonial thought and direct historical analogies from other Semitic cultures, we suggest that the social developments in the Bay of Cádiz were not just side effects of culture contact, but part of an intentional strategy of cultural mixing that was deployed by Phoenicians as a means of improving their economic prospects in the Iron Age Bay of Cadiz.
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Metallurgy and other technologies were a crucial component of the Phoenician political economy and expansion to the western Mediterranean. Technological prowess was one of the outstanding features of Phoenician culture remembered in ancient documentary sources. The archaeological record bears this out, and provides a complementary perspective to the texts, in particular for the metals that were major drivers and products of the Phoenician colonial diaspora: silver, gold, copper, tin, iron, and lead. Once these products were in the West, interactions with different environments and societies led to a variety of technological innovations. The introduction of novel technologies and their adaptation to suit local contexts and mineralizations were key factors in the rapid development of regions affected by the Phoenicians, and set the stage for the next 2,500 years of Mediterranean economic history.
SOMA 2012 Identity and Connectivity Proceedings of the 16th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, Florence, Italy, 1–3 March 2012, 2013
This paper argues for a more systematic approach to the study of economic phenomena in the Phoeni... more This paper argues for a more systematic approach to the study of economic phenomena in the Phoenician sphere of influence. A systematic approach is characterized by a reliance on economic theory to reconstruct the contingent, socially embedded processes of production, distribution, and consumption that made up ancient economic systems. A re-evaluation of the organization of silver production in Southwestern Iberia between the 8th and 6th centuries BC is used as a case study.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Archaeology, 2013
Oxford Reference
Talks and Posters by Philip A Johnston
This paper uses archaeometric analysis of ceramics to examine the effect of colonial dynamics on ... more This paper uses archaeometric analysis of ceramics to examine the effect of colonial dynamics on potters in southwestern Spain during the Iron Age (c. 815-550 BC). Petrography, Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), and portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) were used to examine 166 Phoenician and Iberian (indigenous) sherds, with an additional 12 samples included as controls for the provenance determination. The findings (1) reveal unexpected relationships between chemical and microscopic features of the assemblages in question, and (2) open a window onto the development of pottery production in the colonial context over a 200-year period. The talk will focus on the identification of Phoenician vs. Iberian raw material acquisition practices, and the effects of the colonial context on knowledge transmission among potters.
In: Les Phéniciens, les Puniques et les autres : échanges et identités entre le monde phénico-pun... more In: Les Phéniciens, les Puniques et les autres : échanges et identités entre le monde phénico-punique et les différents peuples de l’Orient ancien et du pourtour méditerranéen
Journées d’étude organisées par Luisa. BONADIES, Iva. CHIRPANLIEVA et Elodie GUILLON
Maison de la recherche de l’Université de Paris Sorbonne
13-14 May 2016
[Cite as: Johnston, Philip Andrew. 2016. “Fragments of Identity: Systematic Ceramic Analysis and ... more [Cite as: Johnston, Philip Andrew. 2016. “Fragments of Identity: Systematic Ceramic Analysis and Colonial Process.” Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, FL, April 7.]
This poster reports the results of a systematic examination of composition for 188 ceramic samples from the Bay of Cádiz (Spain), and discusses the socio-economic ramifications of the findings. Petrographic, NAA, and portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) analysis focused on 169 Phoenician and Iberian sherds dating to c. 800-550 BCE. An additional 12 geological and ceramic samples were included as controls for the provenance determination. The findings reveal unexpected relationships between chemical and microscopic traits in ceramics from the Bay of Cádiz, underscoring the importance of both archaeometric approaches to pottery composition. Because samples were selected from several successive occupational phases, and from vessels of both Phoenician and Indigenous style, the compositional data provide a window into the development of pottery production in the colonial context. The poster highlights a few of these, namely, traditionally Phoenician vs. indigenous practices of raw material acquisition; the effects of the colonial context on knowledge transmission between generations of potters; and the appearance of mixed Phoenician-Iberian technological style.
Under the title Advances in Phoenician-Punic Studies a one-day workshop on recent work in Phoenic... more Under the title Advances in Phoenician-Punic Studies a one-day workshop on recent work in Phoenician and Punic studies will take place at the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World of Brown University on Saturday April 25, 2015.
Paper read at the 8th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, Carbonia and Sant’A... more Paper read at the 8th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, Carbonia and Sant’Antioco, Sardinia.
Paper read at the Prehistoric and Early Greece Graduate Seminar, Oxford, UK.
Paper read at the Annual of the American Schools for Oriental Research, Chicago IL.
Paper read at the 16th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, Florence, Italy.
Organized Sessions by Philip A Johnston
Ceramic petrography has grown from an approach adapted from material scientists to a common metho... more Ceramic petrography has grown from an approach adapted from material scientists to a common method of analysis in archaeology. The combination of both qualitative and quantitative data in petrographic analysis allows it to be applied in a variety of studies, ranging from ceramic manufacturing techniques to the interpretation of social phenomenon, such as exchange, population dispersals, and emulation. The posters in this session are a selection of recent research centered on ceramic petrography from both small-scale and complex societies in the Americas, as well as the western Mediterranean. The wide geographic focus of this session highlights the potential for petrographic research to address complex social questions. In this session, ceramic petrography is used to investigate transitions in social formations within groups and the interactions between different groups, examine the physical properties of coarse crystalline rocks and other manufacturing techniques, and highlight additional sourcing techniques and tools currently used by researchers.
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Dissertation by Philip A Johnston
Papers by Philip A Johnston
Our paper examines the evidence for rapid hybridization that marks the earliest phases of Phoenician presence in the Bay of Cadiz in c. 800-600 BC. As early as 700 BC, we argue, a local culture had already appeared that was no longer Phoenician or Iberian, but already gadirita. To support this, a wide array of evidence is examined, including ceramic production, domestic and funerary architecture and consumption patterns, as well as genetic data. Drawing on postcolonial thought and direct historical analogies from other Semitic cultures, we suggest that the social developments in the Bay of Cádiz were not just side effects of culture contact, but part of an intentional strategy of cultural mixing that was deployed by Phoenicians as a means of improving their economic prospects in the Iron Age Bay of Cadiz.
Metallurgy and other technologies were a crucial component of the Phoenician political economy and expansion to the western Mediterranean. Technological prowess was one of the outstanding features of Phoenician culture remembered in ancient documentary sources. The archaeological record bears this out, and provides a complementary perspective to the texts, in particular for the metals that were major drivers and products of the Phoenician colonial diaspora: silver, gold, copper, tin, iron, and lead. Once these products were in the West, interactions with different environments and societies led to a variety of technological innovations. The introduction of novel technologies and their adaptation to suit local contexts and mineralizations were key factors in the rapid development of regions affected by the Phoenicians, and set the stage for the next 2,500 years of Mediterranean economic history.
Talks and Posters by Philip A Johnston
Journées d’étude organisées par Luisa. BONADIES, Iva. CHIRPANLIEVA et Elodie GUILLON
Maison de la recherche de l’Université de Paris Sorbonne
13-14 May 2016
This poster reports the results of a systematic examination of composition for 188 ceramic samples from the Bay of Cádiz (Spain), and discusses the socio-economic ramifications of the findings. Petrographic, NAA, and portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) analysis focused on 169 Phoenician and Iberian sherds dating to c. 800-550 BCE. An additional 12 geological and ceramic samples were included as controls for the provenance determination. The findings reveal unexpected relationships between chemical and microscopic traits in ceramics from the Bay of Cádiz, underscoring the importance of both archaeometric approaches to pottery composition. Because samples were selected from several successive occupational phases, and from vessels of both Phoenician and Indigenous style, the compositional data provide a window into the development of pottery production in the colonial context. The poster highlights a few of these, namely, traditionally Phoenician vs. indigenous practices of raw material acquisition; the effects of the colonial context on knowledge transmission between generations of potters; and the appearance of mixed Phoenician-Iberian technological style.
Organized Sessions by Philip A Johnston
Our paper examines the evidence for rapid hybridization that marks the earliest phases of Phoenician presence in the Bay of Cadiz in c. 800-600 BC. As early as 700 BC, we argue, a local culture had already appeared that was no longer Phoenician or Iberian, but already gadirita. To support this, a wide array of evidence is examined, including ceramic production, domestic and funerary architecture and consumption patterns, as well as genetic data. Drawing on postcolonial thought and direct historical analogies from other Semitic cultures, we suggest that the social developments in the Bay of Cádiz were not just side effects of culture contact, but part of an intentional strategy of cultural mixing that was deployed by Phoenicians as a means of improving their economic prospects in the Iron Age Bay of Cadiz.
Metallurgy and other technologies were a crucial component of the Phoenician political economy and expansion to the western Mediterranean. Technological prowess was one of the outstanding features of Phoenician culture remembered in ancient documentary sources. The archaeological record bears this out, and provides a complementary perspective to the texts, in particular for the metals that were major drivers and products of the Phoenician colonial diaspora: silver, gold, copper, tin, iron, and lead. Once these products were in the West, interactions with different environments and societies led to a variety of technological innovations. The introduction of novel technologies and their adaptation to suit local contexts and mineralizations were key factors in the rapid development of regions affected by the Phoenicians, and set the stage for the next 2,500 years of Mediterranean economic history.
Journées d’étude organisées par Luisa. BONADIES, Iva. CHIRPANLIEVA et Elodie GUILLON
Maison de la recherche de l’Université de Paris Sorbonne
13-14 May 2016
This poster reports the results of a systematic examination of composition for 188 ceramic samples from the Bay of Cádiz (Spain), and discusses the socio-economic ramifications of the findings. Petrographic, NAA, and portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) analysis focused on 169 Phoenician and Iberian sherds dating to c. 800-550 BCE. An additional 12 geological and ceramic samples were included as controls for the provenance determination. The findings reveal unexpected relationships between chemical and microscopic traits in ceramics from the Bay of Cádiz, underscoring the importance of both archaeometric approaches to pottery composition. Because samples were selected from several successive occupational phases, and from vessels of both Phoenician and Indigenous style, the compositional data provide a window into the development of pottery production in the colonial context. The poster highlights a few of these, namely, traditionally Phoenician vs. indigenous practices of raw material acquisition; the effects of the colonial context on knowledge transmission between generations of potters; and the appearance of mixed Phoenician-Iberian technological style.