HYDROMEDIE: Medieval hydrotechnology in southern Greece
An interdisciplinary case study of water management in Messinia, South Greece.
Looking at historic water infrastructures
We look at the archaeological landscape of Messinia, Greece. Different rulers and ethnic groups have shaped this over the centuries.
Of particular interest are the diverse water systems of medieval and post-medieval times. These have not been fully differentiated.
The EU-funded HYDROMEDIE project aims to identify and compare water infrastructures in Messinia. These arose variously from late Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman ages and from early contemporary societies.
Historic landscape characterisation
The project will perform historic landscape characterisation using:
- a geographic information system
- 3D analysis of existing structures
- microscopic analysis of mortar and scientific dating of samples
It will also interpret information from an archaeological and sociocultural perspective. This will lead to a clearer understanding of the region’s history and better heritage/natural and cultural landscape management policies.
Marie Curie Individual Fellowships fund the project. It is implemented by Dr Sophia Germanidou at the McCord Centre for Landscape. She works in History, Classics and Archaeology at the Newcastle University under the supervision of Prof Sam Turner.