Crete and the Sea: Harbours, Ships and Trade Networks in Imperial Crete

Several changes occurred in the society and economy of Crete following the Roman occupation in 67 BC. The island's transition into the Empire changed the shape of the cultural landscape of Crete, both in the interior and the coasts. The new administrative system, in combination with the end of endemic warfare and the vast exploitation of the sea, liberated the island from its hostile past by shaping its new ‘Roman’ identity. Specifically, the coastal sites and harbours of Crete provided immensely to the island’s prosperity by participating in the Imperial trade, thus serving as an important connecting node for the passing by ships.

This presentation will analyse the different scales of harbours attested in Imperial Crete by focusing not just on their installations and facilities but also on the analysis of natural topography and economic activities, aiming to examine them not just as self-sufficient units but also as dynamic elements of Crete’s Maritime Cultural Landscape. Cretan harbours operated as gateways to the hinterland (especially in the case of a self-sufficient island like Crete), but this was not always the case. Finally, the vast quantities of imported pottery attested along the island indicate a relentless mechanism of interactions and mobility via the sea for the first time to such an extent. As a result, the interpretation of ships and boats is crucial in such a discussion mainly because they constituted the actual interaction tools responsible for maintaining a world such as the Imperial one.