Reconciling Contradictory Archaeological Survey Data: A Case Study from Central Crete, Greece

Abstract

Rescue archaeology in urban contexts often opens small windows on ancient settlements that need to be combined to better perceive the history of these settlements. This article suggests that the same combinatory approach should be employed with survey data. Indeed, archaeological surveys can split single ancient settlements into multiple archaeological sites due to visibility changes. It implies that the perception we have of legacy datasets must change: errors in location data might occur in older, and especially pre-GPS, survey datasets, but the fact that more recent projects have not been able to find sites on the exact same spots might also be related to changes in visibility windows. Using a case study from central Crete, Greece, where two survey projects were conducted in the same area, this article suggests that the variability in location data of sites recorded during survey projects can provide new insights into settlement patterns and dynamics. Notably, evidence of grouped settlements is found, including for periods such as Late Minoan II and Late Minoan III C, previously known for a strong decrease in large settlements’ occupation.