An argument for the existence of a Saronic small world can continue with a phenomenological perspective. Aigina is situated in the geographical center of the Saronic Gulf, with the land masses of Attica, the Corinthia, and the Argolid nearly encircling it. Intervisibility to and from Aigina is exceptionally high:
Aigina is a large island with a distinctive shape — the pointed peak of Mt. Oros is unmistakable — that looms on the near horizon from most coastal vantage points. With some exceptions, the Saronic coastline is rugged, with an abundance of small anchorages attached to diminutive coastal plains or to sheer coastal cliffs. Small coastal settlements tend to be perched on headlands or limited coastal lowlands backed by high mountains that block views, and easy access, to the interior. Thus the everyday field of view is directed toward the sea, to other coastal settlements, and especially to Aigina. Looking upon the Saronic, one perceives not boundless sea, but islands and coasts occupying much of the horizon at distances manageable for small craft. The phenomenological experience of inhabiting one of these communities reverses the common expression of looking out to sea, by giving the sense instead of settlements orbiting around and looking into the center at Kolonna. The visual element of connectivity so keenly highlighted by Horden and Purcell finds a perfect expression in the Saronic. We may hypothetically suggest that intervisibility, combined with moderate distances and relatively easy sea voyaging, promoted the perception of being part of an organically constituted, coherent world. Opportunities for forging ties with other coastal settlements must certainly have flowed from these advantages, but at times there must also have been social imperatives, including mutual arrangements to buffer the risk of resource failure, and the practice of exogamy to maintain the genetic viability of small communities and to cement the social ties needed to perpetuate vital relationships (Bintliff 2010).
World History
