Pylos Regional archaeological project, Part III : Sir William Gell's itinerary in the Pylia and regional landscapes in the morea in the Second Ottoman period

Abstract

This article previews the study of the Second Ottoman period (1715-1821) by members of the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project. By closely comparing Sir William Gell's apparently dispassionate descriptions of the Navarino Bay area with other documentary and archaeological data, we suggest that reconstruction of settlement and land use relying solely on Gell's descriptions can result in misrepresentation. This conclusion has implications for modern Greek social and economic history, since the image that Gell sketches appears to support a commonly held belief that settlement during Ottoman occupation was concentrated in more mountainous areas, while the lowlands were largely devoid of permanent habitation.