Caravans in Socio-Cultural Perspective

Ranging across space and time, this book brings together up-to-date research on the socio-cultural phenomenon of caravans. It shows that caravans for long-distance trade in arid lands are present in both the Old and New Worlds. Alongside historical and archival records, ethnographic analyses of modern caravans provide theoretical frameworks for reconstructing aspects of ancient caravans such as behavior, ritual, and material culture. The volume reflects on the changing foci of caravan research and the future of caravans when memories of living caravanners are fading, and the fragile and remote nature of caravan-related sites means that they are at risk. It will be relevant to scholars from anthropology, archaeology, and history, and others with an interest in trade, travel, and nomadism.