No abstract

During the Roman and early-medieval period in the Netherlands, an extensive network of routes connected settlements on the local, regional and supraregional scale. The orientation of these route networks in part was determined by settlement locations, and in part by environmental factors (e.g. soil type, relief). Therefore these route networks provide a key in understanding the dynamic interplay between cultural and environmental factors.This study focuses on modelling Roman and early-medieval routes using a multi-proxy approach. By combining network friction with archaeological data representing settlements, burial sites and shipping-related finds we wish to investigate the possibilities of using these large-scale datasets for modelling Roman and earlymedieval route networks in the Netherlands. Data representing past infrastructure and isolated archaeological finds were used to validate the model output.Results show that in geomorphologically diverse lowland regions, such as the Netherlands, network friction is extremely useful for modelling historical route networks. We found a clear relationship between environmental conditions, settlement locations and the spatial distribution of infrastructure. Using evidence-based modelling, we were able to correctly predict the location of 89% of the currently identified Roman infrastructure, and 85% of the known early-medieval infrastructure in the Netherlands within a 1000 m buffer. Additionally, despite only roughly covering a surface area of 13% in the Roman and 11% in the early-medieval period of the Netherlands, 82% and 72% of all known isolated finds were located within the same buffer.

This study focuses on reconstructing landscape prerequisites for Roman and early‐medieval routes in the Netherlands. We applied spatial modeling to modern and paleogeographical landscape data in order to determine geographical obstacles for possible translocation in ca. A.D. 100 and 800 via land and water. Network‐friction values were calculated to produce a spatial model of possible movement corridors and to enable the integration of archaeological data. Results show that in geographically dynamic lowland regions such as the current Netherlands, landscape units such as water, peat, and levees must have had a high impact on route orientation. The lower parts of the western Netherlands were almost inaccessible by land, implying that its inhabitants largely must have depended on rivers and streams for transportation. In Dutch coastal and river areas, the landscape changed drastically between A.D. 100 and 800, the largest changes occurring along the coast.