A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies
In this proof-of-concept study we investigate the potential and challenges of a formal network approach for the examination of 1st to 3rd century CE kinship networks in ancient Palmyra (in present-day Syria). The recent availability of a large, digitised archaeological dataset allows for a thorough...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH)
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Historical Network Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://account.jhnr.net/index.php/ul-j-jhnr/article/view/44 |
| _version_ | 1827141031538196480 |
|---|---|
| author | Tom Brughmans Olympia Bobou Nathalia B. Kristensen Rikke R. Thomsen Jesper V. Jensen Eivind H. Seland Rubina Raja |
| author_facet | Tom Brughmans Olympia Bobou Nathalia B. Kristensen Rikke R. Thomsen Jesper V. Jensen Eivind H. Seland Rubina Raja |
| author_sort | Tom Brughmans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this proof-of-concept study we investigate the potential and challenges of a formal network approach for the examination of 1st to 3rd century CE kinship networks in ancient Palmyra (in present-day Syria). The recent availability of a large, digitised archaeological dataset allows for a thorough reassessment of previously studied genealogies. By applying network and genealogical formal methods to these for the first time we can re-evaluate the genealogical completeness and gender bias in our sources, and scientifically explore the tendency for intermarriage within an extended Palmyrene family. We combine archaeological information from funerary portraits in the exhaustive database created by the Palmyra Portrait Project with textual sources from funerary and public inscriptions, and critically evaluate the differences and limits of these sources for genealogical studies. Applying formal network and genealogical techniques to these datasets, as well as comparing five different case studies, allows us to draw attention to four key points: (1) our sources confirm a high degree of genealogical incompleteness and gender bias, which was already known from studies of Palmyrene society; (2) to evaluate whether the relinking index can enhance debates on endogamy and exogamy practices in Palmyra; (3) funerary and public inscriptions are highly complementary and reveal different genealogical structures; and (4) to assess the assumptions behind creating uncertain relationships in funerary cases and their effects on our results. This paper demonstrates a number of quantitative and qualitative approaches for understanding the limits of fragmentary archaeological and historical sources in this process, and it lays the foundation for formulating highly specified hypotheses about the structure of ancient Palmyrene kinship networks in future work. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:48:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cf45d6cde34e4ade9a770eb7731bc359 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2535-8863 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-20T19:04:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Historical Network Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-cf45d6cde34e4ade9a770eb7731bc3592024-08-23T12:34:02ZdeuLuxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH)Journal of Historical Network Research2535-88632021-10-0161418410.25517/jhnr.v6i1.6544A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogiesTom Brughmans0Olympia Bobou1Nathalia B. Kristensen2Rikke R. Thomsen3Jesper V. Jensen4Eivind H. Seland5Rubina Raja6Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona; Classical Archaeology and Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet), Aarhus UniversityAarhus UniversityAarhus UniversityAarhus UniversityAarhus UniversityUniversity of BergenAarhus UniversityIn this proof-of-concept study we investigate the potential and challenges of a formal network approach for the examination of 1st to 3rd century CE kinship networks in ancient Palmyra (in present-day Syria). The recent availability of a large, digitised archaeological dataset allows for a thorough reassessment of previously studied genealogies. By applying network and genealogical formal methods to these for the first time we can re-evaluate the genealogical completeness and gender bias in our sources, and scientifically explore the tendency for intermarriage within an extended Palmyrene family. We combine archaeological information from funerary portraits in the exhaustive database created by the Palmyra Portrait Project with textual sources from funerary and public inscriptions, and critically evaluate the differences and limits of these sources for genealogical studies. Applying formal network and genealogical techniques to these datasets, as well as comparing five different case studies, allows us to draw attention to four key points: (1) our sources confirm a high degree of genealogical incompleteness and gender bias, which was already known from studies of Palmyrene society; (2) to evaluate whether the relinking index can enhance debates on endogamy and exogamy practices in Palmyra; (3) funerary and public inscriptions are highly complementary and reveal different genealogical structures; and (4) to assess the assumptions behind creating uncertain relationships in funerary cases and their effects on our results. This paper demonstrates a number of quantitative and qualitative approaches for understanding the limits of fragmentary archaeological and historical sources in this process, and it lays the foundation for formulating highly specified hypotheses about the structure of ancient Palmyrene kinship networks in future work.https://account.jhnr.net/index.php/ul-j-jhnr/article/view/44palmyraportraitsarchaeologygenealogykinship |
| spellingShingle | Tom Brughmans Olympia Bobou Nathalia B. Kristensen Rikke R. Thomsen Jesper V. Jensen Eivind H. Seland Rubina Raja A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies Journal of Historical Network Research palmyra portraits archaeology genealogy kinship |
| title | A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies |
| title_full | A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies |
| title_fullStr | A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies |
| title_full_unstemmed | A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies |
| title_short | A kinship network analysis of Palmyrene genealogies |
| title_sort | kinship network analysis of palmyrene genealogies |
| topic | palmyra portraits archaeology genealogy kinship |
| url | https://account.jhnr.net/index.php/ul-j-jhnr/article/view/44 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tombrughmans akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT olympiabobou akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT nathaliabkristensen akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT rikkerthomsen akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT jespervjensen akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT eivindhseland akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT rubinaraja akinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT tombrughmans kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT olympiabobou kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT nathaliabkristensen kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT rikkerthomsen kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT jespervjensen kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT eivindhseland kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies AT rubinaraja kinshipnetworkanalysisofpalmyrenegenealogies |