The Thracian harbour city Ainos in Roman and Byzantine times - the development of a traffic hub in a changing environment

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During the 1st funding period of the Priority Programme (SPP 1630) the major palaeogeographic changes in and around Ainos were elucidated. We demonstrated that during the last five millennia, the former large marine embayment has undergone significant metamorphosis, changing from a ria-type coast to a simplified coast. Due to this fundamental morphogenesis, the later settlement hill, which was an island during the maximum marine transgression, was connected to the mainland by tomboli and beach barrier-lagoon-complexes. In Roman-Byzantine times, this process continued and provided the perfect environmental context for the installation of harbours. Unfortunately, definite proof for an ancient harbour at Ainos has been elusive. However, based on geophysical data and geoarchaeological evidence, several potential harbour sites have been identified. Furthermore, knowledge of the topography of the Roman and Byzantine city could be improved, especially concerning the development of the ancient city wall and the chronology of fortifications, which are located near the waterfront. Roman pottery (fine wares) and constructions elements of marble of ancient architecture provide valuable information about the trade relations of Ainos. During the 2nd period of the SPP, the research at Ainos will be finalised. A major target is to identify the locations of the harbours. In order to achieve this goal, (i) trenches will be dug at relevant sites; (ii) sediment facies, representing the Roman-Byzantine period, shall be dated and analysed with high precision; (iii) flights with UAVs (octocopter) will be carried out at promising harbour sites. With additional sediment cores, geological transects will help to identify the thickness, extension and character of the Roman and Byzantine strata. The environmental changes during this period will be elucidated using a high-resolution study of the microfauna, while a chronological framework will be provided by AMS-14C and, if possible, diagnostic artifacts. Additionally, the evaluation of the settlement development and of the economy at a supra-regional level is intended, starting with the results obtained for Ainos. During the 1.5 years (until the end of 2016), for which funding is requested, the research plan is subdivided into three steps: preparation and realisation of the final fieldwork season (step 1); analysis and dating of selected samples in the laboratory, work on archives, and visit of the museum in Edirne (step 2); writing of the final report and papers for publication in international journals (step 3). At the end of phase 2, a workshop is planned, including external experts, in order to evaluate and harmonize all of the data from geoarchaeology, geophysics, and remote sensing, as well as archaeology, ancient history and architecture.