317-321

• Chilardi, M.
• Le Rhun, J.
• Courel, M.F.
• Chamard, P.
• Styllas, M.
• Paraschou, T.

The ancient settlement of Methoni (Bessios, 2005) is located at the interface between the plain of Thessaloniki, the hilly terrain of Pieria Range and the shoreline of Thermaikos Gulf. According to historical manuscripts the urban settlement was distanced from the harbour. However, there exist no historical references about neither the distance nor the potential locations of the harbour (Hatzopoulos et ah, 1990).The aim of this study is to propose potential locations for the Methoni harbour with the use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM). There is remarkable archaeological interest concerning the city of Methoni due to its obscured relationship with one of the world’s largest realms during antic times: the Macedonian one governed by kings as Philip the Second and Alexander the Great.Moreover, locating Methoni harbour has also a geomorphological interest. Geomor- phological processes intensified during historical times as witnessed by the rapid outbuilding of Thessaloniki plain (Ghilardi, 2004) and the intensive colluvial activity in the study area.In doing so, we have constructed the DEM by using topographic maps of different scales edited by the Hellenic Geographic Military Sendee (HGMS). In order to be more specific about the outcome, we chose a series of topographic maps scaled to 1:5000, this being the biggest scale available to construct the DEM.The first step was to georeference all these maps to the international projection system World Geodetic System (WGS) 84, with the minimum possible loss of information. The conversion of geographic coordinates from HATT to WGS 84 projection system for the 1:100,000 scale map was possible by deriving a second degree polynomial function since traditional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) do not include the HATT projection system in their georeferencing tools.The second step included the digitalizing of elevation contours from the 1:5000 georeferenced (WGS 84) maps. This yielded 15,144 points of land topography. In addition, we included bathymetry surveying points (1770 points) so that the DEM was expanded below the present mean sea level as well.By employing certain methods of constructing and using the DEM, we demonstrate its ability to identify key landforms indicative of the ancient harbour’s infrastructure. Using DEM will also permit to establish thematic maps to appreciate the evolution of the landscapes in the area.The technique of constructing and evaluating the DEM has to be considered as a preliminary work before any geo-archaeological study. The technique used in this work can be applied to other settlements victim of the rapid evolution of the landscapes in the area.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Γεωγραφία
• Digital media

αρχαιομετρία, Πιερία, συνέδρια

Περιέχει εικόνες, Οι συγγραφείς του άρθρου εργάζονται στα: Université de Paris 12 Val de Marne Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Université de Paris 10 Nanterre, Université Aristote de Thessalonique