Climate variability and landscape dynamics in the Late Hellenistic and Roman north-eastern Peloponnese

Anton Bonnier,Martin Finné

doi:10.15184/aqy.2020.34

Abstract

Research on ancient Greek rural settlement and agricultural economies often emphasises political agency as a driving force behind landscape change, with comparatively less attention directed to the potential effects of climate. This study analyses climate variability and the spatial configuration of land use in the north-eastern Peloponnese during the Late Hellenistic and Roman (c. 150 BC–AD 300) periods. A synthesis of archaeological field survey data combined with new palaeoclimatological data provides novel insight into how changing climate influenced land use. The authors argue that although climatic variability alone did not drive socio-economic change, drying conditions may have influenced the relocation of agricultural production.

Highlights

The current study discusses the archaeological evidence for changing agricultural land-use patterns in the north-eastern Peloponnese during the Late Hellenistic and Roman periods (c. 150 BC–AD 300), in combination with new, high-resolution palaeoclimatological data
Our results for the northeastern Peloponnese provide a suitable point of departure for discussing how climate variability may have worked in tandem with socio-political developments to influence changes in the spatial configuration of land use
The integrated analyses of climate variability and land-use dynamics presented in the current study highlight the potential role of such variability in the spatial organisation of agricultural land-use strategies

Summary

Introduction

The current study discusses the archaeological evidence for changing agricultural land-use patterns in the north-eastern Peloponnese during the Late Hellenistic and Roman periods (c. 150 BC–AD 300), in combination with new, high-resolution palaeoclimatological data. The current study discusses the archaeological evidence for changing agricultural land-use patterns in the north-eastern Peloponnese during the Late Hellenistic and Roman periods Our aim is to investigate the effects of past climate variability on socio-economic trajectories in a period during which we observe an increasing external political impact on regional economies. Climate variability and landscape dynamics in the north-eastern Peloponnese dynamics; in particular, soil degradation and erosion have been discussed in relation to land-use contraction patterns (e.g. van Andel et al 1990; Bintliff et al 2007: 180; Fuchs 2007). A more detailed discussion of the potential impact of climate variability on land use is required to understand how human-environment interactions can be more effectively integrated into the narrative of socio-economic development in the Peloponnese during these periods

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Discussion

Conclusion