A conduit between two worlds: Geography and connectivity in the Euboean Gulf

Σε αυτό το άρθρο εξετάζεται ο ευβοϊκός κόλπος ως ένας σημαντικός αγωγός δια μέσω του οποίου σταδιακά δημιουργήθηκαν ποικίλες ανθρώπινες αλληλεπιδράσεις. Κατά καιρούς η θαλάσσια λωρίδα του ευβοϊκού κόλπου λειτουργούσε ως φράγμα μεταξύ του νησιού και της απέναντι ηπειρωτικής χώρας, αν και πολύ πιο συχνά ως ζεύξη που συνέδεε τις ακτές που βρίσκονταν εκατέρωθέν του καθώς και το βόρειο με το νότιο Αιγαίο. Από αυτό το σημείο έχουν γίνει συνδέσεις με πολύ πιο μακρινές ακτές, από την ανατολική Μεσόγειο μέχρι το βόρειο Αιγαίο και την Τυρρηνική θάλασσα. Ο ρόλος της γεωγραφικής θέσης στη μοναδική ιστορική τροχιά των περιοχών που περιβάλλουν τον ευβοϊκό κόλπο είναι αναμφισβήτητος, αν και είναι κάτι περισσότερο από αυτό καθώς αποτελεί μια σημαντική θαλάσσια διαδρομή. Ο ίδιος ο κόλπος ολοένα και περισσότερο αναγνωρίζεται ως μια ενωτική περιφερειακή οντότητα. Μέχρι τώρα σε λίγες μελέτες έχει εξεταστεί ουσιαστικά η σημασία της γεωγραφικής του θέσης – ιδίως μέσω πρακτικών, φαινομενολογικών και εννοιολογικών αλληλεπιδράσεων με αυτόν. Σκοπός αυτού του άρθρου είναι να διερευνήσει τα σημεία που διασταυρώνονται η ξηρά, η θάλασσα και οι ανθρώπινες κοινωνίες. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο μπορούν να προκύψουν σχέσεις μεταξύ της γεωγραφικής θέσης και της κινητικότητας ιδιαίτερα με τη μελέτη των χερσαίων και των θαλάσσιων διαδρομών καθώς και των στρατηγικά τοποθετημένων κόμβων και πόρων που συνδέουν αυτά τα θαλάσσια και χερσαία δίκτυα. Σε αυτή η μελέτη χρησιμοποιήθηκαν Γεωγραφικά Συστήματα Πληροφοριών (GIS) και αρχαιολογικά οικιστικά μοντέλα προκειμένου να αποδειχτεί το πώς η γεωγραφική θέση λειτουργεί τόσο ως χώρισμα όσο και ως ζεύξη ιστορικών περιοχών και μικροοικοθέσεων σε ολόκληρο τον Ευβοϊκό κόλπο. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δόθηκε στην Ύστερη εποχή του Χαλκού (ΥΕΧ) και στην πρώιμη εποχή του Σιδήρου (ΠΕΣ), όταν στον κόλπο σημειωνόταν έντονη δραστηριότητα με εκτεταμένες επιπτώσεις που εκτείνονταν πολύ πέρα από τις ακτές του

New and Traditional Methods for Thorough Documentation and Analysis of Architectural Features in the Greek Landscape: A Case Study from the Mazi Archaeological Project (Western Attica)

This paper deals with the logistics of using photogrammetry and hand drawing in tandem to record architecture in archaeological landscapes

Societies in Transition in Early Greece

Situated at the disciplinary boundary between prehistory and history, this book presents a new synthesis of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Greece, from the rise and fall of Mycenaean civilization to the emergence of city-states in the Archaic period. These centuries saw the growth and decline of varied political systems and the development of networks across local, regional, and Mediterranean scales. As a groundbreaking study of landscape, interaction, and sociopolitical change, Societies in Transition in Early Greece systematically bridges the divide between the Mycenaean period and the Archaic Greek world to shed new light on an often-overlooked period of world history. “This book reconfigures our understanding of early Greece on a regional level, beyond Mycenaean ‘palaces’ and across temporal boundaries. Alex Knodell’s sophisticated arguments enable a fresh reading of the emergence of early Greek polities, revealing the microregions that put to the test overarching ‘Mediterranean’ models. His detailed study makes a convincing return to a comparative framework, integrating a ‘small world’ network and its trajectory with the larger picture of ancient complex societies.” SARAH MORRIS, Steinmetz Professor of Classical Archaeology and Material Culture, University of California, Los Angeles “A comprehensive, thoughtful treatment of the time period before the crystallization of the ancient Greek city states.” WILLIAM A. PARKINSON, Curator and Professor, The Field Museum and University of Illinois at Chicago “An important and must-read account. The strength of this book lies in its close analysis of the important different regional characteristics and evolutionary trajectories of Greece as it transforms into the Archaic and, later, the Classical world.” DAVID B. SMALL, author Ancient Greece: Social Structure and Evolutio

Societies in Transition in Early Greece

Situated at the disciplinary boundary between prehistory and history, this book presents a new synthesis of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Greece, from the rise and fall of Mycenaean civilization to the emergence of city-states in the Archaic period. These centuries saw the growth and decline of varied political systems and the development of networks across local, regional, and Mediterranean scales. As a groundbreaking study of landscape, interaction, and sociopolitical change, Societies in Transition in Early Greece systematically bridges the divide between the Mycenaean period and the Archaic Greek world to shed new light on an often-overlooked period of world history. “This book reconfigures our understanding of early Greece on a regional level, beyond Mycenaean ‘palaces’ and across temporal boundaries. Alex Knodell’s sophisticated arguments enable a fresh reading of the emergence of early Greek polities, revealing the microregions that put to the test overarching ‘Mediterranean’ models. His detailed study makes a convincing return to a comparative framework, integrating a ‘small world’ network and its trajectory with the larger picture of ancient complex societies.” SARAH MORRIS, Steinmetz Professor of Classical Archaeology and Material Culture, University of California, Los Angeles “A comprehensive, thoughtful treatment of the time period before the crystallization of the ancient Greek city states.” WILLIAM A. PARKINSON, Curator and Professor, The Field Museum and University of Illinois at Chicago “An important and must-read account. The strength of this book lies in its close analysis of the important different regional characteristics and evolutionary trajectories of Greece as it transforms into the Archaic and, later, the Classical world.” DAVID B. SMALL, author Ancient Greece: Social Structure and Evolutio

Mid- to Late Holocene shoreline reconstruction and human occupation in Ancient Eretria (South Central Euboea, Greece)

International audienceFew studies have aimed to reconstruct landscape change in the area of Eretria (South Central Euboea, Greece) during the last 6000 years. The aim of this paper is to partially fill in this gap by examining the interaction between Mid- to Late Holocene shoreline evolution and human occupation, which is documented in the area from the Late Neolithic to the Late Roman period (with discontinuities). Evidence of shoreline displacements is derived from the study of five boreholes (maximum depth of 5.25 m below the surface) drilled in the lowlands of Eretria. Based on sedimentological analyses and micro/macrofaunal identifications, different facies have been identified in the cores and which reveal typical features of deltaic progradation with marine, lagoonal, fluvio-deltaic and fluvial environments. In addition, a chronostratigraphy has been obtained based on 20 AMS 14C radiocarbon dates performed on samples of plant remains and marine/lagoonal shells found in situ. The main sequences of landscape reconstruction in the plain of Eretria can be summarized as follows: a marine environment predominated from ca. 4000 to 3200 cal. BC and a gradual transition to shallow marine conditions is observed ca. 3200-3000 cal. BC due to the general context of deltaic progradation west of the ancient city. Subsequently, from ca. 3000 to 2000 cal. BC, a lagoon occupied the area in the vicinity of the Temple of Apollo and the settlement's development was restricted to several fluvio-deltaic levees, thus severely limiting human activities in the plain. From ca. 2000 to 800 cal. BC, a phase of shallow marine presence prevailed and constrained settlement on higher ground, forcing abandonment of the major part of the plain. Finally, since the eighth century BC, the sea has regressed southward and created the modern landscape

Reconstructing mid-to-recent Holocene paleoenvironments in the vicinity of ancient Amarynthos (Euboea, Greece).

This article examines the shoreline evolution and human occupation in the vicinity of the important archeological site of Amarynthos (Euboea Island, Greece) over the last six millennia. Archeological evidence indicates a continuous occupation of the site from the Bronze Age to the Roman period and the site is well-known, thanks to the existence of a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Based on the study of four boreholes, a paleogeographic reconstruction of the coastal landscape is proposed. Facies were determined based on mollusc identification, and sedimentology based on grain-size measurements (hand sieving for the fraction above 2 mm and LASER technique for particles below 2 mm) and loss-on-ignition. In addition, a series of 12 AMS radiocarbon dates define a reliable chronostratigraphy. Results suggest the presence of a fully marine environment from the early Holocene to ca. 2600-2400 cal. BC, which developed into a brackish environment from ca. 2600-2400 cal. BC to ca. 750 cal. BC due to the deltaic progradation of the nearby stream (Sarandapotamos River). From ca. 750 cal. BC onward, coastal swamps prevailed in the study area. Human-environmental interaction is discussed and particular attention is paid to the paleolandscape configuration of Amarynthos