Gathering Spaces: Towards an Archaeology of Trans-cultural Community Formation in Ancient Sinope
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper develops a framework based on Bourdieusian principles to analyse the formation of a trans-cultural colonial community in Sinope (Türkiye) by highlighting spaces where social competition was performed. A case study based on the Greek colonial settlement of Sinope in the Black Sea highlights five gathering spaces: the city wall, cemeteries, the city plan, domestic architecture, and the marginal lands beyond the agricultural catchment. This framework is intended to be equally useful for analysing the sharing of cultural elements across Greek and non-Greek settlements in a complex colonial world. Focusing on the changing dynamics of social, cultural and economic capital in community formation, the ‘ethnicity’ of cultural forms is downplayed and the social stimulus of cross-cultural contact illuminated. The ultimate goal is to develop a framework that applies to a broad range of trans-cultural situations including ancient and modern colonialism, pilgrimage and refugeeism.
Source: Cambridge Archaeological Journal
Author: Owen Patrick Doonan
Institution: California State University, Northridge
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
OpenAlex ID: W7130311710