Ainos in Thrace: Research Perspectives in Historical Geography and Geoarchaeology

Abstract

Before the closing of its lagoons and the progradation of the Hebros delta, Ainos took advantage of an almost insulate position, which made it one of the main hubs between the Greek Aegean and the Thracian hinterland. Annual Turkish archaeological excavations (since 1973) and international geoarchaeological research (since 2011-2012) have revealed several components of the polis’ territory (necropoleis, roads, anchoring sites, fortifications) and offered information about the ecological impact of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman occupation on the natural environment. This article is a short critical synthesis of these discoveries, which can serve as a basis for the reconstruction of Ainos’ environmental history.