Thalassocracies in Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean trade: Making and breaking a myth

Interpretations of economic pre‐eminence, ethnicity and directionality in Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean trade ‐ e.g. Minoan or Canaanite thalassocracies, Egyptian supremacy ‐ were formulated earlier in the twentieth century and remain intact despite accumulating evidence against such unilateral explanations. This paper examines critically such approaches, documents the existence of alternative trade mechanisms (local control, freelance trade, gift exchange) and presents another perspective intended to advance understanding of Mediterranean Bronze Age political and economic processes.