Pottery production and communication networks in late Roman/early Byzantine Messenia: evidence from ancient Koroni
Abstract
Information about the history and material culture of Messenia in late Roman/early Byzantine times (4th-7th century CE) remains astonishingly limited. This is mainly because scholars focused on monuments, buildings and settlement patterns of the Bronze Age. Messenia, located on the south-western edge of the Peloponnese and delimited by natural borders, boasts a rich archaeological heritage and a long history. Its privileged position and ‘favourable environment’ have supported numerous settlements since prehistoric times. There is no doubt that in late Antiquity it occupied a strategic location, along key sea routes connecting the eastern and western Mediterranean. Paradoxically, the textual sources provide little or no information on how the major historical and political events of the period affected the region and its inhabitants. The archaeological data also fail to fill this gap, as systematic excavations revealing late Roman and early Byzantine remnants are scarce, and relevant publications remain limited. Thus, we still lack substantial information about the topography of the region, the density and organisation of the settlements, the route networks, the demographic profile and the activities of its population.
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