The Kephissos Valley Project 2018–2022

Human Activities in a Phokian Landscape

Abstract

Interdisciplinary studies of ancient micro-regions form the basis for our understanding of human-environment relationships. The Greek-German cooperation project in the Kephissos valley in ancient Phokis (Central Greece), which was launched in 2018, is one of these projects. In this historical region, archaeological research focused on both the settlement and landscape levels has been conducted in a 145 km² large study area. In collaboration with external interdisciplinary partners, this project investigates the regional settlement development and associated sanctuaries, necropoleis, and infrastructures within their natural environmental context through time. Various historical source materials were evaluated, different remote sensing methods applied, and geophysical as well as building archaeological and field archaeological measures were carried out. Geographical and climatological studies were also conducted. The central research question explores the impact of natural events and anthropogenic influences on the use of the Kephissos valley over time and how this affected ancient settlement patterns in the region. The paper is the first comprehensive presentation of the methods and results of the project’s first five-year programme running from 2018 to 2022.