[DSRP Evidence](https://dsrpevidence.org/)

# Beyond the mole: redefining harbour capacity for the ancient Mediterranean

Nantet et al., 2026, Antiquity — Archaeology

Patterns: [Systems](https://dsrpevidence.org/pattern/systems), [Relationships](https://dsrpevidence.org/pattern/relationships)

## In short

A harbour's true functional capacity is a property of the whole integrated system (formal basin plus surrounding anchorage zones), not of its most visible built part alone, and that whole-system capacity is causally shaped by the coupling of vessel draught, mooring density, and spatial extent.

## What they found (results)

Field survey evidence (Caesarea, Terracina, Port-Vendres) shows extra-basin anchorage zones played a decisive role in determining total harbour capacity, with dense anchorage activity documented well outside the formal built basin at each site.

These researchers were not testing DSRP. The finding is theirs; the correspondence to DSRP is drawn by this site.

[Source](https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2026.10424)