## 3 Coastal Georadneaology of the Largest Mediterranean Islands: A Brief Overview and Main Highlights
### The Aegean Basin  
Over the last decades, research dealing with coastal geoarchaeology has been a growing sector within the tectonically very active Aegean Basin and has mainly focused on the morphological impact of the last post-glacial sea-level rise. Particular attention has been paid to reconstructing past sea-level positions and the effects of regional/local tectonics, based on the cross-contribution of both archaeological evidence and of geomorphological markers (uplifted or submerged notches and slabs of beachrocks). Important aspects of these studies include geomorphological consequences and human implications. Most of the relevant research has been conducted in western Crete [31; 32; 33], in Rhodes [34], and in the Cyclades at Delos-Mykonos-Rhenea [35; 36], Keos [37], Andros [38] and at Paros [39]. A key symbol of this facet of coastal geoarchaeology in a very active seismic context is the morphological impacts of what is known as the Early Byzantine Paroxysm [31] and its consequences on the coastal sites of human occupation of western and south western Crete. This 8.5+ magnitude earthquake occurred in 365 CE [40] and provoked the violent uplifting of western Crete. The maximum amplitude of ca. 9 m (Figure 1a) has been observed on the western coast of the island [40; 41], decreasing in intensity eastwards as far as the Gulf of Tymbaki (Figure 1a) in South Central Crete. Morphological evidence of this coseismic event remains visible at different elevations through the presence of a bioerosional notch situated above the present-day sea level [41]. This uniform geomorphological unit is the common feature of many archaeological sites dating from Minoan times to Antiquity, which are located all along the southwestern coast of the island. As a direct consequence, the ancient coastal harbour of Falarsana (western Crete) is today situated inland at an elevation of ca. 6.6 m amsl [32] (Figure 1b). Further to the east, in the area of Ancient Lyssos (Figure 1a,c), the coseismic bioerosional notch is visible at an elevation of ca. 7 m above the present-day sea level and uplifted the harbour basin to a similar elevation. Still further east, at Sougia, the notch can be seen at ca. 6.50 to 7 m amsl (Figure 1d), and the ancient harbour of Sougia is now situated inland. Finally, at Loutro, the notch is readily observable at an elevation of ca. 4.5 m amsl (Figure 1e). Here, coastal geoarchaeology is related to the societal consequences of this abrupt environmental change at the end of Roman times and the beginning of the Byzantine period. A second aspect of the coastal geoarchaeological studies conducted on the islands of the Aegean Sea concerns the reconstruction of the land- and seascape configuration, taking into account both the evaluation of shoreline displacement and the reconstruction of vegetation composition under human and climatic forcings. Investigating Holocene sediment accumulation of coastal wetlands is useful for reconstructing whole landscape configurations and then integrating sites of human occupation at a regional scale of changing environments. This type of work mainly consists of drilling boreholes in coastal wetlands, usually in lagoons that formed over the last six millennia. Investigations conducted on the islands of Thassos [42], Samos [43], Limnos [44], Skyros [45] and Parios [46] comprise some of the most relevant work undertaken over the last two decades. A good example of this enlarged approach to Human-Environment interactions is obtained on the island of Euboea (west central Aegean), on the southern Euboean Gulf, where a great number of major ancient sites (among which are Avlida, Eretria and Amarythos) have been identified within a deltaic context or in former marine embayments, later silted up by a mixture of continental and marine deposits [47]. Sanctuaries dedicated to [PERSON],  
Figure 1: Different views of the 365 CEoseismic bioerosional notch.