Was Arcadia really a land of lost cities during the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods?

Abandoned cities are the focus of the Gerda Henkel Foundation’s “Lost Cities” funding programme. Increasing urbanisation leads to shrinking and abandoned cities. This phenomenon is ubiquitous worldwide, but it is by no means a recent development. It can already be observed in antiquity. 

The project's objective is to investigate the question of correspondence between ancient reports and reality. Written and material sources will be employed to determine whether and, if so, how Arkadian lost cities were constructed by authors in the Greco-Roman cultural sphere. One of the project’s working hypotheses is that ancient writers utilised these cities to formulate social critique and promote communal identity. This will be examined through case studies. The case studies will demonstrate the extent to which the reportedly abandoned cities of Arkadia were, in fact, structurally, politically, and economically active at the time of their description. In this way, they will show where the term “lost” is a mere literary construction.

Objectives

The project will produce a detailed study of the cities of Arkadia which are abandoned according to the literary narrative, but not based on archaeological findings. This forms the basis for the analysis of the interpretation and perception of constructed or real lost cities. Their investigation will reveal social dynamics that can still be observed today.