Networks and Ethnogenesis 99The development of the theories and their applications to antiquity are moving forward
at an ever-increasing rate. The following introduction therefore aims to provide a
brief overview rather than an exhaustive guide to how researchers have used these
different ideas and tools to think about the past, exploring some key concepts and areas
of research.
Network methodologies
Because of the heterogeneity of the applications of networks to antiquity, there is no
one set method that is used. Broadly speaking, network thinking examines the character
and quality ofinteractionsandlinksas a dynamic process, as opposed to static entities. A
network essentially comprises nodes interconnected by lines, or “vertices” and “edges.”
Edges form the channels across which information can pass from one vertex to another.
Because of these connections, what happens to one node in one area of the network
must affect what happens to nearby nodes and areas. The structure and pattern of these
connections—which nodes are connected to which others at a localized level—has a pro-
found impact on events at a larger scale, that is, how change occurs at a global level.
There can be differences in how far ideas or changes spread across a network, depend-
ing on how the network is structured—but the key concept is that information travels
across the network as a result of theconnectionsbetween nodes, not simply as a result of
individual nodal identities.
Different aspects of this intellectual framework have been used to discuss a variety
of subjects and contexts in antiquity. Here, I will outline some of the most important
concepts and techniques that have been used: thesmall worldnetwork,scale-freenet-
works,centrality(as measured by degree ofclosenessandbetweenness),relational space,
material networksandrelational space,andsocial network analysis. We must of course
remember that these approaches yield imperfect results: missing data is a problem in
our disciplines, and network configurations can change radically with the introduction of
new finds.
Small Worlds
“It’s a small world.” We say it all the time—it describes a situation where we unexpect-
edly find out that we share a common acquaintance with a stranger. Watts and Strogatz
coined the formal expression for this phenomenon, labeling it the “small-world” network
in 1998, and they found it applied to anything from power grids to neural pathways.
Localized groups or clusters of nodes—neighbors, family, friends, etc.—regular acquain-
tances considered to bestrong ties(the sociological term used to describe people with
whom an individual has regular interaction, see Granovetter 1973: 1361) are intersected
by a few long-distance links, orweak ties. These ties provide shortcuts to nodes that
are not regularly involved with our strong-tie local network, and so make important