Environmental aspects of ancient city planning: a pilot study on Ancient Thouria in the Peloponnese, Greece

ABSTRACT In this paper environmental, topographic and geological data of the Classical till Roman Times thriving city of Ancient Thouria situated in Messenia, SW Peloponnese, Greece are presented in context to their archaeological interpretation of the study area’s landscape and usage. Using environmental and geographic factors in collaboration with soil characterization, a preliminary spatial analysis was conducted, aiming at the archaeological interpretation of parameters such as water availability, weather conditions, topography, settlement accessibility and land fertility, taking under account analytical data of soil samples retrieved from a section of an ongoing excavation. The study was conducted using a digital elevation model of the area that enabled the examination of the criteria of watershed, slope, aspect and visibility and assisted X-ray Fluorescence analysis of soil samples from the Asklepieion excavated area thus highlighting the contribution of spatial and in situ analysis to archaeology. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT