The Oikoi Project
Studying settlements requires multiscalar, diachronic data about human activity in space. That's what the Oikoi Project is all about.
Overview
Synthesis in Mediterranean archaeology is often hindered by the different types of archaeological data collected (multi-year excavations, intensive surveys, one-time rescue excavations, extensive surveys, aerial photograph, satellite imagery analysis, historical records) and the lack of standard digital reporting formats. This makes even basic questions about the dynamics and scale of cities, settlements, and regions difficult, while prohibiting more nuanced multiscalar approaches that contextualize excavations with regional records of human activity.
The Oikoi Project proposes both a unified data standard for documenting excavations and surveys in a coherent fashion as well as providing a focal organization for collaborating on regional database projects using that data standard. Co-created by Andrew Cabaniss and Dr. Catharine Judson, the Oikoi Project provides a database schema which enables diachronic analysis of sites and the inference of larger community patterns, both static and dynamic.
Scope
The Oikoi database covers 365 sites and 682 site components in two regions of the Aegean from the end of the Bronze Age to the Early Byzantine period (1200 BCE to 600 CE), covering the entirety of the Early Iron Age and the Archaic-Hellenistic institutionalization of the city-state/polis system. The Ierapetra Isthmus in East Crete and the Chalkidiki in the North Aegean are nearly complete for the major sources, and a stable release will be available shortly (as of August 2020). Current planned expansions include Attica, Central and Western Crete, and several Aegean regions of Turkey.
Access
As of August 2020, the Oikoi schema and documentation are circulated on a per-request basis until they have a permanent, digital, open-access home on the internet. The database itself is actively being populated by a team of researchers including graduate and undergraduate students, but stable copies are available for research projects. Please send an email to help us facilitate your use of the schema or database.
Products and Projects
2020
Cassie Johnivan. The Role of Religion and its Importance to the Ancient City: A Study of Amphipolis and Olynthus. Classical Association of the Pacific Northwest (CAPN), Eugene, OR. March 2020. (cancelled due to COVID-19; supervised by Andrew Cabaniss)
Francesca Tokoph. Abandoned Ancient Settlements: Migrations of Eastern Crete. Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Community College Summer Fellows Program (CCSFP) Symposium, remote/virtual. July 2020. (supervised by Andrew Cabaniss)
2019
Cassie Johnivan. The Development of Religion and the Ancient Greek City. Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Symposium, Ann Arbor, MI. April 2019. (supervised by Andrew Cabaniss)
Patrick Wojtala. Studying Patterns of Development in Ancient Greek Cities on the Chalkidiki Peninsula. Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Symposium, Ann Arbor, MI. April 2019. (supervised by Andrew Cabaniss)
2018
Catharine Judson and Andrew Cabaniss. Πεδίον Λαρισίον: Mapping Settlement Patterns on the Ierapetra Isthmus. AIA Annual Meeting, Boston, MA. January 2018.