ABSTRACT
Ionian cups (Villard and Vallet 1955), Attic Black Figure and Black Gloss ware, as well as small numbers of Punic amphorae (Dietler 2005). ˆat the majority of these Greek ceramic imports at indigenous sites were wine-drinking or pouring vessels, namely cups and oinochoai, contrasts greatly with the much wider variety of imported pottery shapes at Marseilles, and clearly demonstrates the central role of wine consumption in cultural contact and interaction in the region (Dietler 2005: 50, 56). Much attention has been devoted to the understanding of these imports and of the ways in which their acquisition and consumption in indigenous societies affected and transformed these societies, especially following the establishment of Massalia east of the Rhone river valley around 600 . Besides the vast amount of mainly Francophone scholarship, Dietler has published widely on the reception of these imports and the relationship between indigenous societies and the ‘colonial’ agents, which he identifies as Etruscan traders and Greek settlers in Massalia (Dietler 1990; 1995; 1996; 1997; 2005). Notwithstanding the problematic concept of ‘colonial agent’ that I question below, Dietler’s work remains highly significant and influential as it represents a step
away from earlier, arguably colonialist studies that focused on the impact of Etruscan traders and Greek settlers, disregarding the role of indigenous societies in culture contact or highlighting these societies’ drive to emulate Greek customs (Dietler 1990: 356-8; 1995: 65; 1997: 277, 296-7; Shefton 1994; 1995).
