Knidian "Anyports": a model of coastal adaptation and socioeconomic connectivity from southwest Turkey. Issue 1 (2nd January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Greene, Elizabeth S.; Leidwanger, Justin
• Is Part Of: Mediterranean historical review. Volume 34:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 9
• Page End: 25
• Publication Date: 2019-01-02
• Subjects: Archaeological networks -- port development -- maritime landscape -- ancient harbours -- socioeconomic connectivity -- coastal adaptation -- Classical and Hellenistic Anatolia; Mediterranean Region -- History -- Periodicals; 909.09822
• DOI: 10.1080/09518967.2018.1535396
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0951-8967

Abstract

Abstract : Recent archaeological studies reveal a growing interest in the relationship between local coastal dynamics and broader currents of Mediterranean seaborne connectivity. Using as a case study the complex harbour site of Burgaz and its maritime landscape of the Datça peninsula in southwest Turkey, this paper considers trajectories of port development in communities that are pre-modern and pre-industrial but increasingly interconnected and interdependent. While the peninsula's fertile low-lying farmlands made Archaic and early Classical Burgaz an economic backbone and centre of regional exchange in the southeast Aegean, the growth of eastern Mediterranean networks of the late Classical and Hellenistic era eventually favoured Knidos as the better situated hub for maritime activity. Building on the influential "Anyport Model" by geographer James Bird (1963, 1971), this article explores patterns of coastal development at Burgaz as a reflection of local responses to intersecting political, economic and environmental factors. By contextualizing the long-term evolution of one dynamic landscape, the model aims to shed light on how ancient Mediterranean port communities negotiated a constantly shifting place within complex and evolving maritime networks.