Agricultural economies in the face of environmental and political change: A case study from Iron Age Kinet Höyük
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of state power in the Iron Age on networks of crop production, trade and consumption at the port town and trade centre Kinet Höyük in southern Turkey. Findings were achieved through analysis of macrobotanical samples from Kinet, covering the 11th to 6th centuries BC. Samples from 115 contexts were analysed, identifying shifts in crop-processing practices, food security, and risk management correlated with changes in cultural phases and state influence. The Early Iron Age of Kinet Höyük allows for understanding of how the site recovered from the socioeconomic and environmental upheavals of the Bronze Age collapse, while later phases give comparative insight into the control of imperial and state powers on the site's resources and trade activities. This paper aims to contextualise the archaeobotanical assemblage within the trade landscape of the Iron Age Mediterranean, the economic resilience of Kinet Höyük, and the needs of the many state powers exerting control over Kinet's port.
About the Presenter
Makayla Harding is an MPhil candidate at the University of Queensland. She has worked as a field archaeologist for many years in commercial and research settings, and specialises in archaeobotany, or the history of people and plants. Her research interests include using plants to investigate food security, economic management, and resilience of people in the face of changing landscapes.
About Archaeology Working Papers
The Working Papers in Archaeology seminar series provides a forum for dissemination of archaeological research and ideas amongst UQ archaeology students and staff. All students are invited to attend the series and postgraduate students, from honours upwards, are invited to present their research. The aim is to provide opportunities for students, staff and those from outside UQ, to present and discuss their work in an informal environment. It is hoped that anyone interested in current archaeological directions, both within and outside the School and University, will be able to attend and contribute to the series.
