Grey areas in past maritime identity? The case of Final Neolithic-Early Bronze Age Attica (Greece) and the surrounding islands

This article explores the issue of archaeological construction of maritime identity in the region of Attica and the surrounding islands (Greece) during the Final Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age. By investigating the theoretical implications of a situational approach to ethnicity and cultural identity, it is argued that maritime identity in the region was fluid, formed and transformed to meet social circumstances. Archaeological evidence indicates a change through time in maritime exchange networks within communities in the region. The exchanged materials, for example pottery and metals, played an important role in these networks. In addition, burial habits in the coastal zone of Attica and Euboea have many similarities to those of the neighbouring communities in the Cyclades but they are in fact a unique combination of ‘mainland’ and ‘island’ cultural traditions. Maritime networks in the region would have operated along with other overland networks. Finally, mainland-island interaction is only a part of the cultural practices underway at the time.