Algorithms, Roads, and Narratives: Navigating Ancient Crete (ARNAC) is an interdisciplinary research project that explores roads, movement, landscape, and narrative in ancient Crete through digital methods, spatial analysis, and historical interpretation. It is carried out at the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation and funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation.
The study of ancient roads in Crete has often been limited to specific historical periods and subregions. The 'Algorithms, Roads, and Narratives: Navigating Ancient Crete’ (ARNAC) project, led by Dr Vyron Antoniadis, focuses on utilizing GIS tools, particularly Least Cost Path (LCP) analysis, as well as Point Process Models (PPM) and Focal Mobilty Networ (FMN) to examine ancient roads in Crete.
The research aims to reconstruct the ancient road network from the Minoan times to the Late Roman period and to develop a best practice guide for LCP analysis applicable in Crete and other regions. The project sets itself apart by emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach within History and Archaeology, which combines islandwide tests of LCP methods with all available ancient testimonies (archaeological, literary and epigraphic) and modern historical and socio-cultural evidence.
This comprehensive strategy ensures a thorough examination, facilitating a nuanced understanding of the historical and archaeological landscape. Additionally, it aims to provide free and open access to the research findings for the academic community and the public through a web application.
The research project Algorithms, Roads, and Narratives: Navigating Ancient Crete is implemented in the framework of H.F.R.I call “3rd Call for H.F.R.I.’s Research Projects to Support Faculty Members & Researchers” (H.F.R.I. Project Number: 24871).