Digital processing of historical maps from Eastern Macedonia, Greece with the use of GISGeography of settlements and toponyms in space and time

In this paper an extensive research on the development of known toponymies in the wider region of Eastern Macedonia, Northern Greece is conducted. To this objective, digital processing of historical maps (from 1901 to 1945, at a scale from 1:200,000 to 1:20,000) in an environment of GIS has been utilized. The focus of the undertaken study is an area covered by 500 km², from the ancient Amfipolis to the town of Philippoi. The entire analysis (i.e. archaeological estimation) is based on orthophotomaps and satellite images. The data are retrieved from historical maps (from 1901 to 1945, at a scale from 1:200,000 to 1:20,000). The current study presents a detailed analysis of the historical maps and their digital processing, which allowed their crosscorrelation and the export of precious information on the development of known toponymies and the localization of unknown up to today historical settlements and places. It is envisaged that the historical character of this region and the provided map analysis, is very useful for the spatial analysis of ancient Macedonia. This region is of a major archaeological importance, because of the continuous settlement from Paleolithic age and the acne, which presented at the Hellenistic and Roman years.