Piraye Hacıgüzeller

Topological and visual analyses in the space syntax tradition on the one hand and GIS-based spatial analyses on the other have started out on very different trajectories, not only in the scope of applications but also in their underlying premises; the Euclidian metric basis of the latter, for instance, stands in stark contrast to the idea of a configurational topology which forms the basis of traditional space syntax. More recently, there has been a notable convergence both in analytical scope and in the form of software implementations; this has not been paralleled, however, by comparable efforts in terms of explicitly comparative or even integrative studies, a gap we seek to (begin to) address in the present paper on the basis of parallel analyses of topological, visual and metric properties for two case studies. The purpose of this exercise is threefold. Firstly, comparisons of the respective analytical results will aid an appreciation of the strengths and potential weaknesses of specific approaches as well as an identification of both complementary and alternative techniques, but will ultimately also help to gain a reliable basis for future integrative work. Secondly, and more specifically, GIS-based metric integration analysis will be introduced and ‘field-tested’ in comparison with conventional space syntax analyses, from which it derives – in a first step towards a more integrated perspective – part of its inspiration. Thirdly and no less importantly, we seek to contribute to a better understanding of the archaeological contexts under discussion, i.e. the Middle Bronze Age Building A of Quartier Mu at Malia on Crete and the Late Bronze Age palace of Pylos at Ano Englianos in Messenia.

Several large domestic complexes of the Cretan postpalatial period remain elusive as to the nature of their occupation. Although, in general, many authors favour the existence of an urban Minoan society structured upon a system of nuclear families, the size of several residences by far exceeds the standards of the period, casting doubt on such a hypothesis. This is also the case for Quartier Nu at Malia, a large architectural complex of ca. 750 m² dating to the Late Bronze Age and consisting of about 30 spaces organised around a central court. Its recent excavation has given plenty of archaeological data, which, within a geographical information system (Arcgis 8) generates a series of archaeological plans. At the same time, several analytical methodologies are used which may allow us to answer the following question: what was the nature of occupation in Quartier Nu?