Since the 1980s, archaeological fieldwork as well as various research projects have paid considerable attention to ancient Arkadia, e.g. on religious practices and myths, stereotypes, the political situation, or on different perceptions of Arkadian identity.
Archaeological research has often concentrated on architectural monuments, including sanctuaries (e.g. on Mount Lykaion) and public buildings (e.g. in Megalopolis). Recently, there has been an increased focus on residential areas of settlements (e.g. Lousoi). Extensive spatial investigations, including archaeological surveys (e.g. in the Asea Valley), and employing computer-assisted methods provide an impression of the ancient road network in and around Arkadia, as well as scenarios for the land use of certain areas (e.g. in the Lousoi Valley).
Scholars were particularly interested in the decline of the Peloponnesian hinterland, which has been widely reported since Hellenistic times. Various possible reasons have been put forward for the emergence of the crisis, among them social inequality, political instability, and climatic change. The notion of depopulation and impoverishment of the region has been prevalent since antiquity. Despite the scientific evidence that these ideas are by no means accurate, previous studies have focused on real economic and social contexts and events. To date, no study has addressed the contemporary perception and interpretation of transformation processes in Arkadia, nor their possible construction and instrumentalisation in and by ancient literature.
Selected further reading
P. A. Johnston – S. Papaioannou, Introduction. Idyllic landscapes in antiquity: The Golden Age, Arcadia, and the locus amoenus, ActaAntHung 53, 2013, 133–144
M. Jost, Sanctuaires et cultes d’Arcadie, EtPel 9 (Paris 1985)
M. Jost, Villages de l’Arcadie antique, Ktema 11, 1986, 145–158
J. G. Milne, The currency of Arcadia, NumChron 9, 1949, 83–92
Th. H. Nielsen – J. Roy, Defining ancient Arkadia. Symposium, April, 1–4 1998, CPCActs 6 = HfM 78 (Copenhagen 1999)
Th. H. Nielsen, Arkadia and its poleis in the Archaic and Classical periods, Hypomnemata 140 (Göttingen 2002)
E. Østby (ed.), Papers from the third international seminar on ancient Arcadia, held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 7–10 May 2002, Papers from the Norwegian Institute at Athens 8 (Athens 2005)
K. Tausend (ed.), Arkadien im Altertum. Geschichte und Kultur einer antiken Gebirgslandschaft. Beiträge des internationalen Symposiums in Graz, Österreich, 11. bis 13. Februar 2016 / Ancient Arcadia. History and culture of a mountainous region. Proceedings of the international conference held at Graz, Austria, 11th to 13th February, 2016. ARGEIA 3 (Graz 2018)
B. Traeger, Arkadien. Die Münzstätten und Münzen von der archaischen bis zur hellenistischen Epoche, BBMG 12 (Bremen 2021)