The exception and the rule. Making sense of the diversity in patterns of Aegean interaction in LBA Central Mediterranean

Through the last few decades, the study of the relations between the Aegean world and Central Mediterranean societies during the Late Bronze Age (as investigated primarily through the analysis of Aegean type pottery) has highlighted an evident overarching pattern: a limited number of sites played an overwhelmingly important role, while other centres produced only limited amounts of material evidence. In other words, much of the LBA Aegean interaction to the west seems to have been extremely nodal in nature. How are we to interpret this asymmetry? What characterises the ‘exceptional’ as opposed to the ‘normal’ pattern? Many explanations can be (and have been) adopted to make sense of this situation, ranging from attributing the difference to exploration bias, to the placing of emphasis on geographic position to the use of explanatory models like colonies (declined in a variety of ways) and gateway communities. And yet, although capturing part of the processes at work, these elements are not enough to provide a well-rounded assessment of the rationale beyond these macroscopic differences. In this paper I will try to explore these issues trying to glimpse some broad similarities recognisable in the material record. A diachronic contextual analysis of some of the main interaction nodes identifiable in the Central Mediterranean, will be contrasted to the regional ‘norm’ identifiable. A specific attention will be dedicated to the Adriatic area and the site that represents probably the most significant ‘exception’ to the general pattern of interaction in the overall central and western portion of the middle sea, i.e. the site of Roca that produced about half of the overall material recovered west of the Adriatic.