Societies, Mobility, and trade in the Central Mediterranean between the Middle Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (ca. 1700-700 BCE): An Archaeological framework,

This paper, conceived within
the framework of the HERDS Project, provides a synthetic overview of the
major historical processes spanning the period between the beginning of the
Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and the Early Iron Age (EIA) (ca. 1700/1650-725
BC). This long time span was characterised by profound transformations and
a general increase in economic, social, and political complexity, accompanied
by significant demographic growth and an intensification of medium- and
long-distance exchange networks with the Aegean, the eastern Mediterranean,
and central-northern Europe. These networks involved the circulation of raw
materials as well as utilitarian and prestige goods, contributing to increasing
mobility and the transmission of knowledge and ideas. These developments
were underpinned by the consolidation and expansion of subsistence strategies,
in which animal husbandry played a pivotal role. Domestic animals provided
not only primary food resources but also secondary products (dairy, wool,
and osseous materials), as well as essential support for agricultural labour and
transport. Within this framework, zooarchaeological evidence, integrated with
biomolecular and ancient DNA analyses conducted as part of the HERDS
Project, offers critical insights into key research questions, including herding
practices, the mobility of domestic animals – closely linked to human mobility
– and the potential presence of distinct haplogroups among caprines, cattle, and
suids. This contribution synthesises current knowledge of the archaeological
record and the economic and social dynamics in the regions investigated within
the HERDS Project, including the Po Plain (with particular reference to Emilia-
Romagna), central and southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. From a chronological
perspective, particular emphasis is placed on the Bronze Age, as most of the
analysed contexts are attributable to this period.