“Go the Distance”: Late Bronze Age Ports of Interactions

Ports are important gateways for interactions across the Mediterranean Sea as the first point of contact for people traveling via sea, becoming places of gathering, and for interactions between cultures. Thus, ports provide a good scenario for investigating the social changes resulting from the interactions of different cultures. The presence of facilities for both goods and their traders takes ports beyond the economic into the social sphere, providing cultural passage points. This article will focus on the characteristics of ports of interactions to identify potential differences and/or similarities. Roca Vecchia, Lipari, and Kommos are the three examples of ports of interactions that are used as case studies in this article.