Closed, Enclosed or Closable Harbours? An Evidence-Based Redefinition of a Controversial Greek Expression

Contemporary scholarship has frequently translated 'lambda iota mu eta nu kappa lambda epsilon iota sigma tau o sigma' - an expression occasionally appearing in ancient Greek written sources - in different ways, while putting forward several suggestions for its interpretation. Although this topic has aroused the interest of several scholars over the past decades, a thorough analysis aimed at understanding not only the term's origin and use, but also its possible diachronic evolution has yet to be performed. Accordingly, this paper performs the first comprehensive analysis on the term, providing a new definition that also explores the possible repercussions that the developments in naval sieges could have had on its meaning.

Automated summary

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of a common expression in ancient Greek written sources, offering a new definition and exploring the potential impact of developments in naval sieges on its meaning.