Landscapes of power in different ecosystems in 1st-millennium BC Italy: Veneto and Puglia

The analysis of power dynamics and how they interact with landscape organization and environmental factors is a topic of major interest in archaeology. More recently, there has been growing research into nonélite and middling groups, and their interactions with/within landscapes affected by environmental shifts. We outline two case studies from very different ecosystems in 1st¬ millennium BC Italy: riverine, flood¬ prone Veneto in a phase of potential climate cooling, ca. 800/750–625/500 BC; and drought¬ prone northern Puglia (Daunia) in a phase of potential warming, ca. 325–200 BC. In Veneto, a well¬ off/middling burial group acted upon flooding to potentially ameliorate their social standing in a phase of growing inequality. In Puglia, non¬ élite communities occupied two arid¬ prone plateaus with small farms, concomitantly with Rome’s rising hegemony. By looking at the way in which these different social groups interacted in such challenging environments, we explore how social dynamics moulded the landscape and how the environment affected inequalities in return. Ultimately, our work contributes to exploring the interplay between environmental and social factors in creating past inequalities, while addressing limitations in evidence and methods.