HYDROMEDIE · Medieval Hydrotechnology: an interdisciplinary case-study of water management in the historical and physical landscape of Messinia, South Greece
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-07-12 → 2023-07-11
- EU contribution
- €224,934
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Medieval Hydrotechnology: an interdisciplinary case-study of water management in the historical and physical landscape of Messinia, South Greece
The implementation of the Hydromedie project allowed for the examination of the strategies used for water management in rural societies of medieval and post-medieval pasts in southern Greece that were previously disregarded or inadequately studied. Selected water collection and storage structures (cisterns, channels, terraces) in various landscape settings (countryside, village settlement, gorges) were investigated through fieldwork and with cutting-edge digital tools in an interdisciplinary approach. Among the main objectives achieved were a) the thorough documentation and the precise dating of the structures, their function and operation, and b) the understanding of how the regional landscape and the available resources were exploited to provide water, the most valuable resource for subsistence. Thus, an innovative methodological model has been established for studying water-related structures and hydraulic complexes in broader geographical and cultural contexts. Beyond the scientific scope of the project, one of its aims is to engage local communities in their hydraulic heritage and how they could potentially make re-use of traditional technical and mechanical waterways. This goal becomes even more critically important considering the effects of climate change and extended environmental damage that the areas under study experience.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The HYDROMEDIE project will examine a series of key issues using innovative methods from landscape archaeology. The principal challenge will be to examine the strategies used for water management in different societies of medieval and post-medieval Messinia, comparing late Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, Ottoman and early modern techniques in a series of case-studies. Previous research has not succeeded in differentiating and dating water-related infrastructure on a large scale, and this comparative analysis requires application of innovative techniques including GIS-based HLC and spatial analysis, 3D recording and analysis of surviving structures, micromorphological analysis of mortar, and scientific dating of samples using radiocarbon AMS (atomic mass spectroscopy) and OSL (optically-stimulated luminescence). The Fellow will be trained in all these areas through one-to-one instruction, tailored training courses, on-the-job learning and secondments. The training will provide skills necessary for a successful future career in the highly interdisciplinary fields of landscape research and medieval archaeology. The project fieldwork and sampling will focus on case-studies where the natural supply of water is insufficient for basic subsistence, necessitating use of water collection and storage technologies. The subsequent interpretation will seek to identify the social and cultural implications of different strategies, including not only the economic value of water but also the ideological or even religious implications. With this in mind, the case-studies will embrace a range of landscapes, including examples with fortifications, ecclesiastical sites and agricultural settlements.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE · Newcastle Upon TyneCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union