Insular and Coastal Space: Isolation and Connectivity (6th-12th century)

The Project: “Insular and Coastal Space: Isolation and Connectivity” is part of the research area of Historical Geography. This project explores the interplay between isolation and connectivity within insular micro-regions in the Mediterranean Sea. It examines how islands were integrated into, or excluded from, broader networks of communication and exchange. The study focuses particularly on the period following the seventh century, a time marked by significant administrative and economic restructuring across the Byzantine marine territories in the Mediterranean Sea. It also attempts to highlight the specific characteristics of island societies and assess their contribution to the empire’s resilience, particularly in relation to the restructuring administrative and economic processes started to implement after the seventh century. In the framework of the project, a digital database has been created, accompanied by a historical introduction and a research study on the interconnections prevailing in the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea in the sixth century (Kripis-Anavathmis, Communication networks in the Ionian Islands, 6th-13th century, https://kripis2.anavathmis.eu/1–3/; https://kripis2.anavathmis..7). The results of the research are presented in scientific publications, in papers presented at international conferences, in seminars and lectures; workshops dedicated to communication networks and maritime mobility and the environment have been held from an interdisciplinary perspective and in collaboration with other scientific institutions.