Modelling cabotage. Coastal navigation in the western Mediterranean Sea during the Early Iron Age

Abstract

The study of population mobility and its impact on societies throughout history has undergone significant changes as a field in recent years. When we refer to maritime mobility applied to Early Iron Age (EIA) societies in the Mediterranean context, the predominance of coastal or cabotage navigation activity allows us to define this mobility as maritime transhumance. Over time, this mobility has defined the degree of connectivity of some areas with others, thus marking the cultural interactions of each space. This paper introduces the development of a working methodology through the creation of a GIS navigation model complemented by a social network analysis model (SNA). The nautical capabilities of the Gyptis—a replica of the sixth-century BC Archaic Greek Jules-Verne 9 shipwreck (from Marseille, France)—are applied in the context of the western Mediterranean Sea, along with forecasting parameters such as wave height, wind force and direction, combined with coastal visibility. The results reveal a workflow applicable to the analysis defining the physical and social characteristics applied to a specific vessel. While GIS enables mathematical calculations of navigational difficulty, SNA helps explore the relationship between communities connected by coastal navigation. In conclusion, the combination of GIS and SNA allows a closer examination of micro-regions. The concept of micro-regions integrates the Mediterranean Sea as a whole, as well as interactions between the maritime cultures that define it.