Medieval Hydrotechnology: an interdisciplinary case-study of water management in the historical and physical landscape of Messinia, South Greece

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.