"The Question of Abandoned Villages in Ottoman Anatolia" (in E. Kolovos (ed.), Ottoman Rural Societies and Economies, Halcyon Days in Crete VIII, A Symposium Held in Rethymno, 13-15 January 2012 (Rethymno, Crete University Press, 2015). (original) (raw)

The paper discusses the phenomenon of abandoned villages in Ottoman Anatolia, analyzing historical agricultural expansion and settlement patterns influenced by socio-political factors. The author critiques previous research by Hütteroth and presents new evidence from Ottoman tax registers, highlighting the impact of violence, population dispersal, and economic pressures in the seventeenth century that led to widespread abandonment. Furthermore, the study explores the gradual recovery of rural settlements by the mid-nineteenth century and adds context to the broader socio-economic history of the Ottoman Empire.