MASARYK UNIVERSITY Faculty of Arts Department of Archaeology and Museology
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MASARYK UNIVERSITY Faculty of Arts Department of Archaeology and Museology MASTER’S THESIS 2018 Klára Matulová MASARYK UNIVERSITY Faculty of Arts Department of Archaeology and Museology Classical Archaeology WATER MANAGEMENT ON MT. OXA (CRETE) Bc. Klára Matulová Supervisor: Mgr. Věra Klontza, Ph.D. Consultant: Mgr. Dalibor Všianský, Ph.D. Brno 2018 DECLARATION I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. I agree with storing this work in the library of Classical Archaeology at Masaryk University in Brno for study purposes. …………………………………………… ABSTRACT Presented master’s thesis focuses on the study of water management system utilized at the hilltop site Oxa, which is located in the western part of Mirabello Bay, Crete. Data collected during three survey prospections on Oxa Mountain were clustered in a database and further transformed in the catalogue. The interpretation of the water supply as a particular settlement strategy is based on a detailed documentation of Oxa’s architectural remains related to water management and their subsequent analysis and interpretation in the context of Crete and eastern Mediterranean region. Keywords: Crete, water management, cisterns, Middle Ages, rainfall utilization, survey prospection ABSTRAKT Předložená magisterská diplomová práce se zabývá vodním hospodářstvím na lokalitě Oxa nacházející se v západní části zálivu Mirabello na Krétě. Cílem práce je zdokumentovat početné kamenné struktury související s vodním hospodářstvím, získaná data zpracovat formou databáze a katalogu, a analyzovat je v kontextu regionu i východního Středomoří. V práci jsou použité údaje získané terénní prospekcí, která proběhla v sezónách 2013-2014 a 2017. Základem pro interpretaci vodního systému jako konkrétní sídelní strategie je podrobný rozbor nálezové situace na lokalitě Oxa, který je srovnán s vybranými lokalitami regionálního i nadregionálního významu. Klíčová slova: Kréta, vodní hospodářství, cisterny, středověk, terénní prospekce, využití dešťové vody ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would first like to thank my thesis’s supervisor Mgr. Věra Klontza, Ph.D. who has always encouraged students in their research and tried to provide them the study opportunities they desired. I admire the incredible patience and support she has for her students, as well as the positive attitude she passes on people around. My gratitude further goes to Mgr. Dalibor Všianský, Ph.D. (Department of Geological Sciences of Masaryk University in Brno) for providing me the results of plaster analysis and consultations in this regard. I am also grateful for the opportunity to study in the libraries in Knossos, INSTAP and ASCSA where the majority of literature used in this thesis was gathered together. Moreover, I would like to thank the entire team of The Oxa Project, to all colleagues who were participating in the survey prospections. Without your contribution, this thesis would not be written. I would especially like to thank my archaeological friend, Bc. Lucia Ščasníková, who walked with me along the same path of our Master studies. Thank you for your help during the survey on Oxa Mt., your support, valuable advices and encouragement during my studies. Deep gratitude goes to all people who were howsoever involved in this thesis. Namely I would like to thank Mgr. Magdaléna Musilová for expert advices and consultations concerning geology, Mgr. Petr Pajdla for his insights, comments, advices with the digitalization of plans and providing me the graphs, Mgr. Vojtěch Nosek for the photos of plaster and mortar samples, and the last but not least, Dr. Patrik Klingborg (Uppsala University, Sweden) for providing me his dissertation and for his comments and advices regarding to the study of cisterns’ features. Finally, I cannot express how much I am grateful to have my family and closest friends, who always supported me in my studies. My sister, mum, dad, and especially my grandparents, followed by my friends, Ivette, Káťa, Lucka, Magdička, Miško, Monča, Peťa and Honza. Thank you for making this world a better place and for making me laugh the most. LIST OF CONTENT Introduction ............................................................................................................. 9 Theoretical Basis .................................................................................................... 11 1.1. Water Management: State of research .............................................................. 11 1.2. A Brief History of the Study Area ....................................................................... 15 1.3. Natural Environment of Crete ........................................................................... 18 1.3.1. Geology and Hydrogeology ................................................................................................ 18 1.3.2. Climate ............................................................................................................................... 21 1.4. Water Management in the Mediterranean ........................................................ 24 1.4.1. Introduction to Cisterns ..................................................................................................... 27 1.4.1.1. Cisterns on Crete ...................................................................................................... 30 I. Bronze Age .................................................................................................................... 30 II. Iron Age ......................................................................................................................... 32 III. Roman Period ................................................................................................................ 34 IV. Byzantine Period ........................................................................................................... 40 V. Venetian and Ottoman Rule .......................................................................................... 43 1.4.1.2. Interpretation of Cisterns’ Features ......................................................................... 45 1.4.1.3. Summary .................................................................................................................. 54 1.4.2. Plasters and mortars .......................................................................................................... 59 1.4.2.1. Case Studies .............................................................................................................. 61 Surveys on Mt. Oxa in 2013-2017 ........................................................................... 63 2.1. Oxa Survey Seasons 2013-2014 ......................................................................... 64 2.1.1. Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 64 2.1.2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 64 2.1.3. Results ................................................................................................................................ 65 2.2. Oxa Survey Season 2017 ................................................................................... 67 2.2.1. Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 67 2.2.2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 68 2.3. Documentation ................................................................................................. 68 2.4. Data Processing ................................................................................................ 70 2.5. Dating of the Site .............................................................................................. 72 2.5.1. References to Oxa .............................................................................................................. 72 2.5.2. Results of Pottery Sampling at Oxa .................................................................................... 73 2.5.3. Architectural Remains ........................................................................................................ 74 2.5.4. Discussing the Byzantine Period on Crete .......................................................................... 75 2.6. A Small Ethnographic Research in the Study Area: Nofalias Village ..................... 77 Water Management on Mount Oxa........................................................................ 80 3.1. Identification of Water Structures ..................................................................... 80 3.2. Criteria for Selecting Particular Water Structures ............................................... 86 3.3. General Characteristics of Water Structures at Oxa ............................................ 87 3.3.1. Structure’s Shape ............................................................................................................... 87 3.3.2. Type of Masonry ................................................................................................................ 88 3.3.3. Building Material ................................................................................................................ 90 3.3.4. Position in Terrain .............................................................................................................