Connecting the Dots in the Adriatic-Ionian Area. Long-Distance Networks in the 3rd Millennium BC

The so-called Cetina culture can be described as a widespread pattern of interconnec- tions traceable through a particular ceramic style that spread in the Adriatic-Ionian area in the sec- ond half of the 3rd millennium BC. The diffusion of Cetina ceramic types across the central Mediter- ranean is the material evidence reflecting the movement of small groups of seafarers and testifying to recurrent contacts. In this paper we attempt to provide further explanation for these patterns by adopting a community of practice approach in the analysis of networks, and focusing mainly on the ritual and ideological sphere. By applying modularity analysis, we then attempt the reconstruction of the Cetina network structure by singling out different smaller clusters interacting within the same larger network.