Network Analysis to Model and Analyse Roman Transport and Mobility

Soto, Pau de

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04576-0_13

Cited by 42 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The Roman period is already benefiting from the application of systems-thinking methodologies in discussion around transport and trade (e.g. de Soto 2019;Leidwanger 2014;Livarda and Orengo 2015), religion (e.g. Collar 2013; Woolf 2016) and cities and towns (e.g.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If we take trade routes as an example, several studies have used ceramics to reconstruct routes along which goods and people were transported (e.g. Brughmans and Poblome 2015;de Soto 2019). Where an item originated and where it was deposited are usually known points, but what happened between the production and deposition of ceramic vessels is largely unknown.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food systems in archaeology. Examining production and consumption in the past

Reed

2021

Arch. Dial.

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Research on food has a long history in archaeology and anthropology, with many agreeing that we need to examine the food of complex societies in a more holistic way, through the various stages from production to disposal. Typically, this has occurred through the application of the concept of foodways, although this has a range of definitions and is generally only used in historical archaeological and anthropological research. By building on this important area of research this paper will explore the usefulness of applying a food-systems framework to understanding food in the past. Systems research is already well established in archaeology, sharing elements with approaches such as social-network analysis and complexity science. These theories have been used to address a broad array of questions about the relationships between actors, activities and outcomes for individuals and larger groups at a range of social scales. Thus food systems can help us to explore greater connections between food, human society and the environment via a combination of different archaeological evidence and comparative data.

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Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Food systems in archaeology. Examining production and consumption in the past

Reed

2021

Arch. Dial.

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“…Cowley, 2016;Verhagen et al, 2013;Makohonienko, 2009); be they navigable rivers, pathways cut through forests or paved roads. Indeed, well-built and dense road networks are commonly considered a hallmark of advanced civilisations, such as the Incan Empire (D'Altroy, 2018) or the Roman Empire (Carreras and de Soto, 2013;de Soto, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploratory Network Reconstruction with Sparse Archaeological Data and XTENT

Ducke

Suchowska

2021

J Archaeol Method Theory

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This contribution discusses methods for reconstructing the links of past physical networks, based on archaeological site locations and mathematical models of few parameters. Networks are ubiquitous features of human culture. They structure the geographical patterning of the archaeological record strongly. But while material evidence of networked social interaction is abundant (e.g. similarities in artefact types and technologies), preserved physical remains of the networks (such as roads) are much rarer, making it difficult, if not impossible, to understand the spatial structure of cultural exchange and diffusion. This raises the intractably complex problem of optimal physical network reconstruction, based solely on the known locations of archaeological finds or sites. We address the tractable subproblem of plausible reconstruction of network links. Using a small sample set of Late Bronze Age settlement sites in and around the Mediterranean, we explore model-based network reconstruction from sparse and legacy archaeological data. A hierarchical model is provided by a network-adapted version of Renfrew and Level’s (1979) classic XTENT formula. We show that a GIS-based implementation, that utilises cost surfaces, offers significantly increased realism and analytical advantages. Our approach represents an alternative (with its specific strengths and weaknesses) to more data-intense and computationally complex approaches, such as agent-based models and simulations. The network reconstruction software used in this study (v.net.models) is available under an open source license.

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“…As far as we know, the studies that have analyzed it from a quantitative perspective have been very limited and focused on the railways (Equipo Urbano 1972 ; Martí-Romero et al 2020 ). The works of Carreras Montfort and de Soto are an important exception, but they mainly refer to the Roman period (Carreras Montfort and de Soto 2013 ; de Soto 2019 ). Their analysis for the roads of the eighteenth century uses the work of Escribano ( 1758 ) as a main geographical reference, which implies a significant restriction in terms of time reference and potential geographical bias as they acknowledge (Carreras Monfort and de Soto 2010 , p. 13).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex networks to understand the past: the case of roads in Bourbon Spain

2020

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The work aims to study, using GIS techniques and network analysis, the development of the road network in Spain during the period between the War of Succession and the introduction of the railway (1700-1850). Our research is based on a detailed cartographic review of maps made during the War of Succession, largely improving preexisting studies based on books of itineraries from the sixteenth century onwards. We build a new, complete map of the main roads at the beginning of the eighteenth century along with the matrix of transport costs for all the important towns describing the communications network. Our study of this complex network, supplemented by a counterfactual analysis carried out using a simulation model based on agents using different centralized decision-making processes, allows us to establish three main results. First, existing trade flows at the beginning of the eighteenth century had a radial structure, so the Bourbon infrastructure plan only consolidated a preexisting situation. Second, the development of the network did not suppose important alterations in the comparative centrality of the regions. Finally, the design of the paved road network was adequate for the economic needs of the country. These findings are in stark contrast with claims that the radial structure of the Bourbon roads was designed ex-novo with political or ideological objectives rather than economic ones. Our methodology paves the way to further studies of path-dependent, long-term processes of network design as the key to understanding the true origin of many currently existing situations.

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Network Analysis to Model and Analyse Roman Transport and Mobility

Cited by 42 publications

References 20 publications

Food systems in archaeology. Examining production and consumption in the past

Food systems in archaeology. Examining production and consumption in the past

Exploratory Network Reconstruction with Sparse Archaeological Data and XTENT

Complex networks to understand the past: the case of roads in Bourbon Spain

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