Vol. 46 (2026): Dossier: Contacts and Networks in the Mediterranean: The Northern Aegean from a Local, Regional, and Global Perspective

The choice of this region is motivated by the necessity to comprehend the social, cultural, and religious dynamics within the sphere of archaeological contexts of contact between Greeks and local populations. The Northern Aegean region holds significant regional importance in terms of highly intense cultural contacts, evident in the dynamics of movements of Greek ceramic materials with local marks and uses, coins minted with local and Greek representations, traces of hybrid coexistence in sanctuaries, inscriptions demonstrating social and religious dynamics between local and Greek groups, remnants of offerings, residences, and pictorial representations showcasing the fruitful interaction among populations in this Mediterranean region since the Bronze Age. This dossier aims to present and reflect upon the local, regional, and global dynamics evident in research covering the antiquity of the region. Emerging theoretical-methodological currents inspired by post-processual archaeology propose interdisciplinary discussions. Starting from materiality in context, the agency of objects, and the dynamics of spaces and cultural ties established among populations, it is possible to observe social processes and cultural dynamics of negotiation and interaction. From an identity standpoint and under the perspective of the actions of local peoples, interpretations focus on micro-dynamic regional and local scales. Recent excavations prioritize understanding the relationships between Greeks and local and/or hybrid peoples based on data from poleis located outside the major polis centers under Athenian dominion, primarily concentrated in the 5th century BCE. Greek foundations in the Northern Aegean are shedding light on a cultural, religious, and social diversity of peoples and local practices marked by a regional koiné of practices and customs that reveal contacts with Greek, Phoenician, and specific local groups since the Bronze Age. These efforts concentrate on methodologies that can recover specific practices with respect to their temporalities, processes, and chronological logics, avoiding generalizations.

Cover by Fernanda Coutinho