Was the Anthropocene anticipated by the Long Walls zone?

Abstract

We argue that the Anthropocene has been anticipated even in distant historic times, if not earlier. More than a geological era, the Anthropocene as a philosophical concept, may include giga-scale structures which have changed the way the Earth’s crust was configurated, perceived and experienced. The research and observation of the becoming of such archaeological structures in time, is a way to take advantage of the depth of time that has flowed since their creation. The case study focuses on a characteristic example of classic Antiquity, the parallel Long Walls between Athens and Piraeus. When looking at paleo-geographical maps depicting what we acknowledge today as the Piraeus peninsula, we find that Piraeus used to be an island [6800-5400 cal y B.P.]. During classic antiquity, before the Northern Long Wall was constructed, [2450 cal y B.P. alias 5th c. BCE] Piraeus was again almost an island, cut away from the Attica land by a marsh, namely Halipedon. Halipedon was an area heavily modified during the Northern Long Wall’s construction, as testified by Plutarch who refers to the expensive, time-consuming task of creating these foundations by the use of huge quantities of gravel and massive stone-blocks