Harbours and Maritime Networks as Complex Adaptive Systems JOHANNES PREISER-KAPELLER and FALKO DAIM (Eds) with 10 Contributors 139 pp., 44 colour and 12 b&w illustrations including maps and tables RGZM Monograph 23 from Römanisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseu

Harbours and maritime networks function as complex adaptive systems influenced by environmental, political, and economic factors. The Special Priority Programme (SPP 1630) of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft revealed that the emergence, use, and decline of harbours depend on interdependent conditions, such as the foundation of Alexandria in 331 BC, which disrupted Thonis-Heracleion's trade networks but allowed it to persist as a religious centre. The study also identified 'gateway communities'—coastal settlements without harbour infrastructure that thrived due to avoidance of port taxation. Additionally, imperial euergetism and lobbying played crucial roles in the construction and maintenance of Roman ports, with emperors holding exclusive privileges for large-scale projects. Archaeological network analysis further demonstrated structural patterns in maritime trade rather than specific connections, highlighting the strengths and limitations of such methods.

CARAYON, N. (2016). Harbours and Maritime Networks as Complex Adaptive Systems JOHANNES PREISER-KAPELLER and FALKO DAIM (Eds) with 10 Contributors 139 pp., 44 colour and 12 b&w illustrations including maps and tables RGZM Monograph 23 from Römanisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseu. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 45(1), 213–214. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1095-9270.12153