Mediterraneanization

Since the 1980s historians and archaeologists have shifted from models emphasizing the stability of bounded cultures to ones emphasizing fluidity and connectedness. It is argued here that this is a response to globalization. Criticizing current connectedness models for their unfocused questions and methods, the argument emphasizes processes of Mediterraneanization over timeless Mediterraneanism, the need for more precise analytical categories, and recognition that increasing connectedness created both winners and losers. It is illustrated with a study of western Sicily, where Mediterraneanization benefited and harmed different groups between 800 and 300 BCE.