Watching the horizon: Coastal navigation strategies in the Balearic archipelago during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages

Abstract

During the Middle and Late Bronze Age, communities across the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean) established a high degree of connectivity both between islands as well as between the islands and the mainland. Evidence of this phenomenon can be traced not only through the existence of foreign materials, but also through shared practices, habitus, and objects across the islands. To better understand the maritime mobility practices that underpinned this connectivity, we used GIS analyses to investigate the role of a group of sites located along the islands’ coastlines to examine whether they could be related to coastal navigation dynamics. By focusing on the visibility and prominence of these sites during navigation, we sought to understand if their locations were conducive to be used as landmarks that aided coastal navigation.