Mediterranean Trade Networks and the Diffusion and Syncretism of Art and Architecture Styles at Delos

Abstract

This paper constructs networks, using social network analysis, of Delian maritime trade and the diffusion of art and architectural styles from Mediterranean locations to Delos in the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods. The dataset used is based on a selection of published archaeological finds and other primary sources supported by modern scholarship. Primary sources include art and architecture, evidence of commercial exchange from the archaeological record and ancient textual sources. Also considered is the large corpus of honorary and dedicatory inscriptions at Delos, mainly from the early Hellenistic period, and whether ethnicity also relates to trade or locations influential in Delian art and architecture. Art influences include the representation and practice of cults manifested in both direct copying of styles, hybrid productions and syncretism. Subject to the limitations discussed, this approach illustrates the extent to which trade and the influences of art and architecture originate from the same source and less so in relation to the ethnicity of inscriptions. The maps for each period demonstrate how trade, art and architectural influences changed diachronically and in sync with changing political powers. This demonstrates the tolerance of the island to outside influences, a cosmopolitan, tolerant melting pot of peoples, cultures and cults.