Kalderimi

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Kalderimi through the Aradena Gorge on Crete

A kalderimi ( Greek καλντερίμι ( n. Sg. ), Plural kalderimia ) is a paved mule track in Greece. The carefully laid out paths are at least 300, but probably over 1000 years old. In areas less developed by road traffic, such as Crete , there is still a dense network of kalderimi today.

History

The time of origin of the paths is unclear. The origin of the word Kalderimi from Turkish ( Turkish kaldırım "footpath") leads many to assume that the paths were built in the "Turkish era" (1669–1898), but the Turkish word itself comes from ancient Greek ( καλλί δρόμος , good Run (-Weg) ' ). This rather suggests that the Ottomans got to know such paths from the Byzantines and later systematized construction and maintenance.

Presumably, however, they are also no older than the Byzantine period (from 395 ), since in Greek antiquity roads were more common and cases are documented in which such roads are intersected by modern calderimia . It fits that in Byzantine times the transport system was changed from vehicles to pack animals. According to another opinion, there was already a tight network of mule tracks in antiquity, on which most of the transport of goods was handled.

Distribution and importance

Crete is criss-crossed by a kalderimi network, the length of which is estimated to be several thousand kilometers, and connects all villages, settlements, chapels, castles and alpine pastures. Four paths even cross the Lefka Ori .

The Kalderimi through the Imbros Gorge , at that time the only connection between Askifou and the south coast, served the Allies as a retreat after the Battle of Crete in 1941 ; although they had to leave all heavy equipment behind, they were able to disembark most of their troops in Chora Sfakion .

The most famous kalderimi is the crossing of the Aradena Gorge on Crete. In many other areas of Greece there are also well-preserved kalderimia (see “Weblinks”).

If a place can only be reached by mules via a kalderimi , this limits the size and weight of the objects that can be transported to or from there without being dismantled. The heaviest non-local object ever found during investigations in the Cretan Sfakia was the 90 kg cast iron plate of an olive press.

Construction

The most elaborate kalderimia , especially in gorge crossings, are 4 m wide, carefully paved with smooth stones and secured with side walls. There are also paved paths of lower standards. In open terrain with a slight incline, the fastening can also be completely absent.

conservation

Since the kalderimia have not been maintained since the end of the 18th century, they are threatened by erosion, especially where they cross drainage channels. The danger from modern road construction, which makes use of their routes without any problems or buries them with excavated material, is much greater. Occasionally calderimias were restored as part of the EU's LEADER project , for example between Loutro and Anopoli . But generally there is little understanding of the preservation of this cultural heritage.

Single references

  1. ↑ Hincal Uluc in the Turkish newspaper Sabah , English in Aegean Times ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / aegeantimes.net
  2. ↑ Turkish etymological online dictionary nisanyansozluk
  3. ^ Yanis A. Pikoulas: The Road Network of Arkadia . In: Thomas Heine Nielsen, James Roy (eds.): Defining Ancient Arkadia: Symposium, April, 1-4 1998 . Kgl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, 1999, ISBN 87-7876-160-3 , p. 304 .
  4. ↑ Hans Lohmann : Ancient streets and mule tracks in Attica and the Megaris . In: Eckart Olshausen, Holger Sonnabend (Hrsg.): Stuttgarter Colloquium on the historical geography of antiquity, 7, 1999 . Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-515-08053-8 , pp. 145 .
  5. ↑ a b c Oliver Rackham, Jennifer Moody: The Making of the Cretan Landscape . Manchester University Press, Manchester, New York 1997, ISBN 0-7190-3647-X , pp. 156 .

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