Analyzing scripts of notaries from the region of Sitia, East Crete

Manolis DRAKAKIS | Evangelos CHARITOPOULOS | Aristea GRATSEA | Evangelos LIOLIOS | CYRILLOS (Bishop of Hierapytna and Sitia)
(Holy Diocese of Hierapytna and Sitia, Hierapetra, Greece)

Keywords: Crete, notaries, landscape, toponyms, land use

Abstract:
A variety of transactions (sales, rentals, loans, etc.) had been recorded by numerous notarials during the Venetian rule in Crete, lasting from 1211 to 1669 AD. The Venetian archive was removed to Venice after the Ottoman conquest of the island. Several scripts from this period have still survived in the archival service of the city of Venice (Archivio di Stato di Venezia – A.S.V.). A.S.V. kindly offered microfilms of these archives in Vikelaia Municipal Library of Heraklion in Crete. Thereafter scripts of notaries had been published in Crete or used for educational purposes in courses having as topic palaeography.
Notarial acts included a wealth of information about the economy and the society of each region, as well as valuable data about physical settings and built environment in terms of land use, place names, and vernacular architecture. Greek publications of notaries of other regions of Crete did not make so far any relevant data analysis. The Diocese of Hierapytna and Sitia in eastern Crete set up a project for the publication of notaries from this region and the study of local history. So the current project proposes a holistic approach to the publication of notarial acts, combining detailed records in a data base and analysis and visualization in GIS with the publication of scripts. As an outcome, the research will shed some light on aspects of landscape archaeology in eastern Crete during the Venetian rule, offering at the same time historical insights to local community as well as motivation towards heritage protection and sustainable development.

Relevance conference / Relevance session:
The aim of this presentation highlights the significance of digital technologies exploring new fields in the publication of written sources.

Innovation:
Publications of notaries did not make so far any relevant data analysis and use of digital technologies.

References:

  1. Zarinebaf, Fariba, Bennet, John, and Davis, Jack (2005). A Historical and Economic Geography of Ottoman Greece: The Southwestern Morea in the 18th Century, Hesperia Supplement, Volume 34.
  2. Terpstra, Nicholas and Rose, Colin (2016). Mapping Space, Sense, and Movement in Florence: Historical GIS and the Early Modern City. London and New York: Routledge.