New Approaches to the Archaeology of Beekeeping

About this book

Language: 13 contributions in English, 3 in Spanish, and 1 in French

New Approaches to the Archaeology of Beekeeping aims to take a holistic view of beekeeping archaeology (including honey, wax, and associated products, hive construction, and participants in this trade) in one large interconnected geographic region, the Mediterranean, central Europe, and the Atlantic Façade. Current interest in beekeeping is growing because of the precipitous decline of bees worldwide and the disastrous effect it portends for global agriculture. As a result, all aspects of beekeeping in all historical periods are coming under closer scrutiny. The volume focuses on novel approaches to historical beekeeping but also offers new applications of more established ways of treating apicultural material from the past. It is also keenly interested in helping readers navigate the challenges inherent in studying beekeeping historically. The volume brings together scholars working on ancient, medieval, early modern, and ethnographic evidence of beekeeping from a variety of perspectives. In this sense it will serve as a handbook for current researchers in this field and for those who wish to undertake research into the archaeology of beekeeping.

Contents

Preface / David Wallace-Hare (San Diego State University)
Acknowledgements

1. A New Approach to the Study of Ancient Greek Beekeeping / Georgios Mavrofridis
2. Smoke and Bees: From Prehistoric to Traditional Smokers in Greece / Sophia Germanidou
3. Potters and Beekeepers: Industrial Collaboration in Ancient Greece / Jane Francis—Concordia University
4. Etruscan 'Honey Pots': Some Observations on a Specialised Vase Shape / Paolo Persano
5. Palynological Insights into the Ecology and Economy of Ancient Bee-Products / Lorenzo Castellano, Cesare Ravazzi, Roberta Pini, Giulia Furlanetto, Franco Valoti
6. La apicultura en el ager de Segóbriga-Cuenca, España / Jorge Morín, Rui Roberto de Almeida, Isabel Sánchez Ramos
7. Beekeeping and Problematic Landscapes: Beekeeping and Mining in Roman Spain and North Africa / David Wallace-Hare
8. Evidence of Dalmatian Beekeeping in Roman Antiquity / Kristina Jelincic Vuckovic, Ivana Ožanic Roguljic, Emmanuel Botte
9. Ancient Rock-cut Apiaries in the Mediterranean Area: Some Case Studies / Roberto Bixio, Andrea Bixio, Andrea De Pascale
10. Appiaria vel in civitate vel in villa: Bees and Cities in the Early Medieval West / Javier Martínez Jiménez
11. The Production and Trade of Wax in North-Eastern Iberia, XIV-XVI C: The Case of Catalonia / Lluís Sales i Favà, Alexandra Sapoznik
12. Del panal a la mesa: La miel en la Corona de Aragón (siglos XIV-XV) / Pablo José Alcover Cateura
13. Honey and Wax in Medieval Tyrol on the Basis of Tyrolean Land Registers (Urbaria) and Books of Accounts / Barbara Denicolò
14. Early Irish Law on Beekeeping, with Particular Reference to Bechbretha ‘Bee-Judgements’ / Fergus Kelly
15. Arqueología de la apicultura en la Asturias preindustrial / Joaquín López Álvarez
16. Approches de l’Archéologie: L’apiculture insolite du nord de l’Espagne / Robert Chevet
17. Historical Beekeeping in Northern Portugal: Between Traditional Practices and Innovation in Movable Frame Hives / Teresa Soeiro

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Biography

David Wallace-Hare (PhD University of Toronto) is an environmental historian of ancient and medieval beekeeping, mining, and forest management in western Europe. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Exeter on the NERC-funded project MEMBRA (Understanding Memory of Treescapes for Better Resilience and Adaptation).