The Seventh-Century Roman Kastra of Kalymnos and Telendos
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Date
2021-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to determine the details of the fortification scheme of medieval Roman Kalymnos, including what threats informed it, what priorities it had, and how it might have worked in practice. With a focus on the fortifications of Agios Konstantinos, Galatiani, Kastelli, and secondarily Chora Kastro, GIS modelling will be used to determine medieval Roman-era fields of fire, approaches from landing sites, siting priorities, and other factors influencing these defensive structures and their use through time. This approach stresses the role of fortifications as force multipliers rather than mere refuges, and their fields of fire, sturdiness, and other considerations will be key in determining what forces were arrayed against them, and what forces were defending them as well. Surface collections, architecture, landscape, and contemporary works will also prove invaluable in this examination. In addition to fortifications, this study will make note of population centers, demographic trends, and land use across the island to inform analyses on the placement of defensive works. This study will have implications on the extension and maintenance of imperial hegemony through the self-preservation impulses of its subjects, the responses of insular communities under threat, the ways in which communities can survive cyclical violence, and the tactical details of a lightly armed populace's response to armed incursions.
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Keywords
Roman, Byzantine, Aegean, Fortification, Spatial Analysis, Medieval