Interlocking Geographic and Social Urban Mobility. The Social Network of Etruscan Elites
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 20/11/2020

This paper presents the evolution of the social network of Etruscan families of the urban north-ern centers of Volterra, Chiusi, Fiesole and Perugia during the process of Romanisation. The network of kinship is analysed using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and integrated with a ge-ographic network of the cities and the minor settlements on their territories. A methodological introduction will illustrate the preconditions of the archaeological and epigraphical sources as well  as  of  the  social  structure,  which  allow  us  to  reconstruct  the  network  of  Etruscan  urban  elites,  their  presence  in  neighbouring  cities  and  minor  centers,  and  their  social  mobility.  In  the following, the network of the kinship of local families will be presented and analysed dia-chronically as a longitudinal network between 350 and 50 BCE. After a discussion on kinship strategies and on the meaning of social mobility, the social network and its evolution will be related to the change within the network of geographic connectivity between main cities and minor settlements. The two networks of kinship and connectivity are interlocked and will be analysed  in  their  interdependence.  Aim  of  this  research  is  to  answer  the  following  research  question: what is the relationship between elite mobility and geographic connectivity? Can we detect forms of forced mobility due to traumatic events, such as conflicts, exile and climatic or economic deterioration of the landscape? And finally: is the mobility of Etruscan elites a strategy of resilience, to maintain the cohesion of the social structure and local leaderships during the process of Romanisation?


Raffaella Da Vela