Environment and Economy on Aegina
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GUDRUN KLEBINDER-GAUß AND WALTER GAUß Opportunity in Scarcity: Environment and Economy on Aegina “Those who live with the seas may be regarded as having a keen perception of the elements, a willingness, at some level, to participate in the community organisation of labour and, most importantly, an expectation of continual encounter with other- ness, at home or elsewhere. These histories of the sea are embodied in the individual and the community, and this embodiment is related to both perception and experi- ence of the environment and the specifics of material culture linked to the sea.” (Rainbird, 2007, p.64) The role of landscape (and also seascape) and environment respectively in shaping human experience has gained increased interest in archaeological research (e.g. Tilley, 1994; for seascapes, see, e.g., Broodbank, 2000; Berg, 2007; for ‘landscape’ and ‘environment’ as complementary terms, see Ingold, 1993, p.156; see also Jones, 1998, p.11). The interaction between the individual and his or her envi- ronment – in Jones’ (1998, p.11) words the “totality of the natural, cultural, his- toric, and economic contexts within which an individual lives” – is seen as a criti- cal factor in influencing people’s actions. In this contribution we want to intro- duce the case of the Greek island of Aegina and analyse some aspects of its culture within the context of the given environmental conditions. Aegina Today: Tourism, Pistachios and Archaeology Aegina is a small island, approximately only eleven kilometres from north to south and twelve kilometres from west to east. It is situated in the centre of the Saronic Gulf, in close proximity to the neighbouring Peloponnese, the Megaris and Attica with Athens in the west and north, while the eastern side of the island faces towards the Aegean Sea, with the islands of Kea, Kithnos and Serifos as nearest neighbours (fig.1). The island’s geographic position allows easy and direct access to neighbouring coastal areas of the Greek mainland and easy access to routes in the central Aegean and beyond. 68 Gudrun Klebinder-Gauß and Walter Gauß Fig.1: Geographical position of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf; © Anavasis with additions by the authors. In geological terms Aegina is part of the so-called Aegean Volcanic Arc, and most of its landscape is dominated by volcanic rocks which cover the entire southern and north eastern part of the island (fig.2). Only the north western part is geolog- ically different, with a less rugged landscape and richer vegetation (Livaditis, 1974; Dietrich, Gaitanakis, Mercolli and Oberhaensli, 1991; Kiriatzi, Georgakopoulou and Pentedeka, 2011, pp.72-74) (fig.3). It is also on the northwest coast that the modern capital of the island, Aegina town, is situated. On the edge of the town, a short distance from the harbour, the prehistoric settlement and the acropolis of the ancient city state are located on the Kolonna hill peninsula. .