Globalized Gauls?: An objectscape analysis of ancient Lattara between the 6th and 2nd century BCE

This thesis investigates the objectscape of ancient Lattara to uncover the impact of Mediterranean influences—manifested through imported objects and goods—on this Iron Age village between the 6th and 2nd centuries BCE. Lattara was an indigenous port city founded around 525 BCE, located on the Mediterranean coast of Gaul between larger Greek trading colonies such as Massalia to the northeast and Emporion to the south. It’s position on popular contemporary trade networks saw countless new Mediterranean objects pass through its harbour. For this research, an objectscape analysis is applied to investigate the influence objects have on human behaviour through their material and stylistic characteristics, namely the active role they take in shaping human life and social practices. The choice of an objectscape analysis is central to this research, as it prioritizes the agency of objects in historical processes. The analysis is conducted between four key categories of imported objects...Show moreThis thesis investigates the objectscape of ancient Lattara to uncover the impact of Mediterranean influences—manifested through imported objects and goods—on this Iron Age village between the 6th and 2nd centuries BCE. Lattara was an indigenous port city founded around 525 BCE, located on the Mediterranean coast of Gaul between larger Greek trading colonies such as Massalia to the northeast and Emporion to the south. It’s position on popular contemporary trade networks saw countless new Mediterranean objects pass through its harbour. For this research, an objectscape analysis is applied to investigate the influence objects have on human behaviour through their material and stylistic characteristics, namely the active role they take in shaping human life and social practices. The choice of an objectscape analysis is central to this research, as it prioritizes the agency of objects in historical processes. The analysis is conducted between four key categories of imported objects found during archaeological excavations at Lattara, being ceramics, epigraphical evidence (engravings and inscriptions in material culture), lighting (oil lamps and hearths), and numismatics. For each category, four essential and practical questions which fall under the objectscape methodology were put forward: What objects, styles and materialities are new? Where do they come from? How do they innovate? What are the historical consequences of these material changes? Through these questions, the local consequences of globally exchanged goods became evident. The study reveals significant changes in daily life and social structures. Evidence suggests that an increase in imported objects contributed to a gradual shift from a traditionally communal society, characterized by collective rituals such as communal feasting, communal construction projects and shared resources, toward a more individualistic and private lifestyle of Lattara’s inhabitants. Examples include the engravings of indigenous names using the Greek alphabet on imported tableware, indicative of personal ownership; silver hoards of Massalian obols, reflecting the emergence of concepts of wealth accumulation, and secrecy by means of concealed said wealth; and the adoption of oil lamps, which had had influence on the communal significance of the central hearth, and the shared rituals associated with it by facilitating private activities after dark. These findings illustrate how increased connectivity with Mediterranean cultures not only transformed material practices but also reshaped the social fabric of Lattara. This research contributes to broader discussions on the interplay between trade, material culture, and societal change in the ancient Mediterranean, and illustrated the lasting effects of cross-cultural exchanges on indigenous societies bordering the Mediterranean sea.Show less

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Globalized Gauls? An objectscape analysis of ancient Lattara between the 6th and 2nd century BCE