Potential location of early Neolithic sites in Crete and Cyprus: A GIS-based regional potamological approach

This study aims to identify key locations for the potential unearthing of Early Holocene archaeological sites in the interior of Cyprus and Crete, two large islands in the Eastern Mediterranean. We apply geographic information system (GIS) methods, based on assumptions of environmental suitability and geographical accessibility. The core assumption is that the first farmers colonizing almost pristine islands had a fair empirical knowledge of morphopedological conditions suitable for their Mediterranean farming practices. Here we use the SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) to establish the primary factor of access to water resources calibrated on the hydrogeomorphological context of known archaeological sites on the two islands. Test zones on the central part of Crete (pre-ceramic Knossos, 9000-6500 BP) and the foothills of the Troodos mountains in Cyprus (Khirokitia culture) suggest potential suitable localities situated on specific terraces, ledges or footslopes perched above the flood plains of major rivers or smaller streams. The final aim is to establish a methodology for the discovery of new archaeological sites that is expected to contribute new data to the fragmented archaeological record of both islands. Although this study focuses on bridging existing gaps in the early Neolithization processes in the Eastern Mediterranean, our "potamological" (Pardé, 1949) approach is of value for any mountainous region where hydrological resources are a key factor at the early stage of neolithization.