Papers by Giorgos Vidras
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2024
The Lake Volvi area, part of the region of Macedonia (northern Greece), is a biodiversity hotspot... more The Lake Volvi area, part of the region of Macedonia (northern Greece), is a biodiversity hotspot, located in the central part of a major communication corridor connecting the western and eastern parts of the Balkans. The sediment succession from Lake Volvi is investigated here to provide a unique high-resolution pollen and geochemical record for the last 2000 years combining palaeoecological and historical methods, implementing the concept of consilience. The palaeoecological data document the environmental dynamics since the occupation of the area by the Romans. The vegetation changes reveal the development of wetland habitats and the variations of the mixed deciduous oak and thermophilous-mesophilous forests, as well as cereal cultivation, grazing and arboriculture, whose intensity varied over time. Archaeological data are available for the 1st millennium CE, but detailed historical evidence becomes accessible from the 13th century CE onwards through Byzantine and Ottoman documents. Both historical and palaeoecological data indicate that the 16th century was the period of strongest population pressure on the environment of the Volvi region. However, for other periods, it is possible to observe disagreements between the proxies. We demonstrate that these contradictions can be resolved with a more complex understanding of the region's social-ecological dynamics.
Études Balkaniques, 2019
This paper explores the shifting economic dynamics on the island of Crete during the transition f... more This paper explores the shifting economic dynamics on the island of Crete during the transition from Venetian to Ottoman rule in the seventeenth century. We will examine the impact of the long war between the two powers on the Cretan economy, focusing on the dispersion of the rural population, emerging settlement patterns and the overall spatial redevelopment of the landscape during and after the Cretan war. We focus especially on the environmental regional diversity of the island’s hinterland. Our analysis takes into account not only the Venetian and the Ottoman land policies enforced upon Crete but also the parameters of the geography and the natural environment, as they both helped shape much of agrarian activity on the island. As cartography plays a crucial role in deepening our understanding of this process, we utilized the digital toolset of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in order to produce several maps with our findings.
Edited volumes by Giorgos Vidras
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Papers by Giorgos Vidras
Edited volumes by Giorgos Vidras