Mediterranean maritime visibility: old limits and new approaches

Much work on the archaeology of nautical mobility across the Mediterranean Sea draws on calculations of land visibility that were formulated in 1901 and that have received relatively little critical evaluation. Here, the authors trace the use of this map in archaeology, providing a critique of 2D coastal visibility analyses and presenting a new analysis to quantify coastal visibility in angular terms. The resulting multidimensional visibility datasets (available as online supplementary material) form the basis for an updated coastal visibility map for the Mediterranean Sea, offering a platform for the exploration of more nuanced questions about seafaring and navigation.