The political ecology of the pylian state

Industrial activity sponsored by the palace had a minimal impact on the environment. The calculations presented above reflect high estimates of the fuels consumed by potters and bronzesmiths sponsored by the palace. Ethnographic accounts show that in fact, much of the fuel for pottery is not generated from raw wood, but rather via the by-products of other activities. Vine clippings, animal dung, and olive stones are popular fuel sources that would have been available to Pylian potters.50 The widespread availability of these fuel sources in the Bronze Age suggest that the forest requirements presented above might be even further reduced.