Simulating Littoral Trade: Modeling the Trade of Wine in the Bronze to Iron Age Transition in Southern France

Abstract

Abstract:The Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France is well known today for producing full-bodied red wines. Yet wine grapes are not native to France. Additionally, wine was not developed indigenously first. In the 7th century B.C. Etruscan merchants bringing wine landed on the shores of the Languedoc and established trade relationships with the native Gauls, later creating local viticulture, and laying the foundation for a strong cultural identity of French wine production and setting in motion a multi-billion dollar industry. This paper examines the first five centuries of wine consumption (from~600 B.C. to~100 B.C.), analyzing how preference of one type of luxury good over another created distinctive artifact patterns in the archaeological record. I create a simple agent-based model to examine how the trade of comestibles for wine led to a growing economy and a distinctive patterning of artifacts in the archaeological record of southern France. This model helps shed light on the processes that led to centuries of peaceable relationships with colonial merchants, and interacts with scholarly debate on why Etruscan amphorae are replaced by Greek amphorae so swiftly and completely.Keywords: Languedoc; Gaul; agent-based model; trade; economics; Lattes; Lattara Niketas then asked for some wine and poured a cup for Baudolino. "See if you like this. It's a resinous wine that many Latins find disgusting; they say it tastes of mold." Assured by Baudolino that this Greek nectar was his favorite drink, Niketas settled down to hear his story. -from Baudolino [1]

On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives

“…Cultural exchanges between the East and the West across Eurasia in prehistoric times followed the globalization patterns of food and technology [81][82][83], which further facilitated the prosperity of civilization and the growth of the population [11]. Trade has made a significant contribution to economic growth and social development [84]. Geopolitics has played a key role in the evolution of trade and human activities, which have significantly influenced historic human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor [23] and the eastern Tibetan Plateau [21].…”

Agent-Based Modeling for Archaeologists: Part 1 of 3

“…Our own experiences with simulation reflect this topical diversity, as we have used simulation to explore the development of the wine industry during the Bronze to Iron Age transition in Littoral France (Crabtree 2016), exchange practices and the development of hierarchy in the US Southwest (Crabtree 2015; Crabtree et al 2017), Pleistocene hominin dispersals (Romanowska et al 2017), and the formation of archaeological landscapes in Australia (Davies et al 2016). Although the scenarios are simulated, the implications for research are real.…”