Objectives

Objectives

The Peraia of Samothrace Project explores questions of the archaeology and topography of Aegean Thrace, combining History (written sources, historical maps, toponyms, etc), Archaeology (pedestrian field survey, study of pottery and related finds) and Geoinformatics (geophysics, satellite imaginary, GIS).

More specifically, PSP aims to:
(i) Explore the diachronic use of land, coastal and inland, and the parameters set by the local topography and micro-environments.

(ii) Locate and explore settlements never before investigated through systematic excavation, survey, and composite large-scale research, which could be identified with the Thracian sites and settlements founded by Samothrace, known in the sources as “Samothracian forts,” or other formations

(iii) Study the pottery and other finds collected during the survey to evaluate the Greek and Thracian presence in the area, investigate commercial and cultural relations and co-examine the literary sources, toponyms, and historical maps of ancient Thrace.

(iv) Apply new methodologies in archaeological research. In particular, we focus on new technologies and processing software, experimenting with spatial analysis and interpretation models based on processed results from geophysics and remote sensing to contextualize the selected sites within the larger geographic and historical framework of the Northern Aegean.

(v) A more general objective of PSP is to set a best practice example for future research endeavors.