Studying Ports and Harbours of Crete in Late Antiquity (4th – 7th/8th Centuries Ad) Through Archaeological and Gis Based Approaches

Abstract

Modern archaeology approaches ports and harbours as integral parts of maritime cultural landscapes and, by consequence, of past societies’ everyday life. Recent port and harbour studies have increasingly benefited from the advantages offered by computer-based analysis to explore the multiple roles played by these maritime infrastructures in particular historical periods and geographic regions. This paper focuses on Crete, a strategically located island in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, seeking to meticulously investigate a wide range of key topics related to Cretan ports and harbours during late Antiquity (4th - 7th/8th centuries AD). It combines archaeological approaches with GIS spatial analysis tools to shed more light on the development of the complex harbour network in Crete during late Antiquity, focusing on aspects related to the interaction between ports, harbours, inland settlements, land roads, sea routes, sailing conditions and topographical parameters. Cretan ports and harbours are considered as integral parts of wider networks working on various scales, which also include bays, coves, maritime and inland settlements, ecclesiastical complexes, farming zones, offshore islands, land roads, sea routes, etc. Mobility and visibility patterns within both land and sea are considered as key factors in the context of this study.