“This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 (2021-2023) research and innovation programme
under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 892163”
Messinia is rich in water resources but for the area of the rugged and barren southern Mani peninsula, in both sides of Taygetos mountain range.
Sites and structures located in every hydro-geological
(arid or dried, semi-arid, naturally or technically watered)
or landscape (from rivers to gorges, hinterland to coastal) pattern are recorded.
A few will be selected for further investigation and documentation.
Examples of waterless landscapes:
A cistern of dry stone masonry at a rural site near Mezapo,
and opposite the promontory of Tigani, Inner/laconian Mani.
The gorge of Rintomo, Outer/messinian Mani, where previously springs and flowing water operated watermills -now completely dried up.
The red color on the side rock is result of iron oxide, an indicator of the paleoenvironmental conditions.
Although the climate is mostly moderate in the project area, extreme phenomena do occur and play a significant role on water collection and its structures.
Frequent rainfalls, intense spring seasons and rarely, heavy snowfalls, may leave an impact on how cisterns and relevant parts of water management are preserved