A Geospatial Analysis of Mycenaean Habitation Sites Using a Geocumulative versus Habitation Approach

Abstract

In this study GIS and spatial analysis were applied in order to thoroughly examine possible relationships between the location of Mycenaean (16 th -11 th c. BC) settlements in Messenia and the geomorphological characteristics of the area of their establishment. The idea lying behind this attempt is that the Mycenaeans would not have established their habitation sites randomly but according to decisive criteria, among which geomorphological characteristics played an important role. Such criteria include land aspect, terrain slopes, the hydrographic network and the geology of the area, all significant factors which need to be taken into consideration in order to evaluate the choice of settlement establishment. The combination of all available geological and environmental data with archaeological records provides a better view of the way local environments were built up in the past in association with the human site exploration and habitation; this view, hereafter defined as the Geocumulative versus Habitation (GCH) approach, constitutes the axis of the present study.The results of the study show a clear tendency in choosing settlement locations according to GCH criteria, resulting in a preference for flat to low-lying ground, in an environmentally friendly orientation (with environmental conditions such as protection from the north wind and at the same time profit by the sunlight), facilitating exploitation of local geological resources and of the hydrographic network.

The habitation Model Trend Calculation (MTC): A new effective tool for predictive modeling in archaeology

“…Regarding the climatic factor, by examining the soil reports it was observed that the majority of the 140 habitation sites that examining in this paper (Malaperdas and Zacharias 2018) are located in generally southern orientations, resulting in conditions of maximum sunshine; these orientations also ensure protection from the cold, strong north winds. For the verification of the results, the wind intensity parameter prevailing in the locations was examined in correlation to the parameters of solar radiation and thermal load, for both the directness of the solar input entering the site and the cumulative effect that it may have regarding the orientation (McCune 2007).…”

Environmental aspects of ancient city planning: a pilot study on Ancient Thouria in the Peloponnese, Greece

“…(Murrieta-Flores 2010). For example, in the case of agricultural societies (Roebuck 1945), (Arapogianni and Kakouros 2016) breeding zones can be supported up to two hours away from the main settlement (Malaperdas and Zacharias 2018). In the case of Ancient Thouria, the city was built and flourished close to rich clean water sources, Pamissos and Aris Rivers to the west as well as Xerilas closer to the east.…”

“…In recent studies, more attention is given to local topography of a region while approaching site allocation or landscape topographic patterns in settlement selection (De Reu et al 2011). On that note, determining locations of archaeological sites or materials through human activity and occupational behaviour (Judge and Sebastian 1988b) is a continuous procedure that integrates various scientific aspects (Vines and St 2012) (Malaperdas and Zacharias 2018). To support the development of such models or patterns documenting and examining environmental, geographic and geological conditions in known archaeological sites is important for establishing pattern criteria.…”

Establishing the Middle Sea: The Late Bronze Age of Mediterranean Europe (1700–900 BC)

“…Major infrastructure projects probably facilitated this expansion, for example, the partial drainage of the Kopaïs basin (Aravantinos et al 2006;Lane et al 2016Lane et al , 2020 and possibly also of the Nemea Valley (Cherry and Davis 2001). The most important of these settlements, socially and politically, are located on either flat ground or small hills (up to 300 m), which combine easy access to the surrounding land and defensibility (Malaperdas and Zacharias 2018).…”