Northern Italy has often been characterised as an isolated and marginal area during the Roman per... more Northern Italy has often been characterised as an isolated and marginal area during the Roman period, a region constricted by mountain ranges and its distance from major shipping lanes. Historians have frequently cited these obstacles, alongside the lack of a major seaport on the Po, as a barrier to the region's economic development and connectivity to the rest of the Roman world. However, how isolated was the interior of Northern Italy in reality? To answer these questions, this paper analyses the results of a route network model of Northern Italy's transport network during the Roman period. Containing over 136 nodes, it enables a significantly more detailed analysis of the region's transport network than previous modelling. The model explores which were the most cost-effective routes for imports arriving from the Adriatic and Ligurian coasts, alongside which ports were the most accessible from sites in the upper and middle valley. The paper's results confirm the importance of the Po-Veneto water network in facilitating the cost-efficient movement of goods from the Adriatic coast to areas hundreds of kilometres inland and vice versa, suggesting that prior assumptions of its isolation have been overestimated .
The Po was one of the Roman Empire’s largest waterways and the density of its river network was c... more The Po was one of the Roman Empire’s largest waterways and the density of its river network was considerable. The construction of extensive riverine infrastructure between the first-century BCE and first-century CE, alongside the creation of a para-littoral canal system connecting Adriatic ports to the Po, attests to the importance of fluvial transport within the region. The Po formed an important corridor for goods entering Northern Italy from the Adriatic, alongside exports travelling to the Danubian frontier via Aquileia, with Pliny the Elder claiming that the Po carried on its channel ‘all the products of the seas’. Within this chapter, route network analysis is used to illustrate how the waterways of Northern Italy drastically reduced the cost of transport across the region. The results of the analysis are compared with a selection of quantified amphora assemblages from urban sites along the river network, the contents of which show that imported amphora-borne goods travelled significant distances inland before transport costs affected their distribution. The combined network and amphora analyses suggest that Northern Italy’s network of rivers and lakes played a significant role in long-distance inland trade, with merchants making the full use of the diverse natural and man-made waterways on offer.
Water poses a particular challenge to the cities and settlements of the Po–Venetian plain. The re... more Water poses a particular challenge to the cities and settlements of the Po–Venetian plain. The region has some of the highest levels of precipitation in Italy and is criss-crossed by dozens of rivers, including the Po, Adige and Tagliamento. Throughout history, there was considerable hydrological risk to the well-being of riparian communities from hazards such as flooding and lateral channel movement, yet local residents did not sit idly by. This article synthesizes the available evidence for Roman responses to hydrological risk in the Po–Venetian plain from the first century BC to the sixth century AD, examining their workings and the hazards they sought to counteract, integrating them into wider discussions on risk in the Roman world. The responses are divided into the categories of defensive works (embankments and dykes) and channel interventions (channel rectification, channel diversion and dredging). While the effectiveness of these methods is questioned, in particular their potential to cause unintended changes to the watercourse, the decision by riparian communities to undertake them suggests a degree of local success. Nevertheless, an examination of the archaeological and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests a discrepancy between peak intervention and peak risk, implying increasing vulnerability and risk acceptance amongst riparian communities during late antiquity.
In this episode, I am joined by archaeologist and University of Edinburgh PhD candidate, James Pa... more In this episode, I am joined by archaeologist and University of Edinburgh PhD candidate, James Page. James shares his insights into how Romans dealt with a changing and often dangerous environment, and their resilience and adaptation through water management.
Northern Italy has often been characterised as an isolated and marginal area during the Roman per... more Northern Italy has often been characterised as an isolated and marginal area during the Roman period, a region constricted by mountain ranges and its distance from major shipping lanes. Historians have frequently cited these obstacles, alongside the lack of a major seaport on the Po, as a barrier to the region's economic development and connectivity to the rest of the Roman world. However, how isolated was the interior of Northern Italy in reality? To answer these questions, this paper analyses the results of a route network model of Northern Italy's transport network during the Roman period. Containing over 136 nodes, it enables a significantly more detailed analysis of the region's transport network than previous modelling. The model explores which were the most cost-effective routes for imports arriving from the Adriatic and Ligurian coasts, alongside which ports were the most accessible from sites in the upper and middle valley. The paper's results confirm the importance of the Po-Veneto water network in facilitating the cost-efficient movement of goods from the Adriatic coast to areas hundreds of kilometres inland and vice versa, suggesting that prior assumptions of its isolation have been overestimated .
The Po was one of the Roman Empire’s largest waterways and the density of its river network was c... more The Po was one of the Roman Empire’s largest waterways and the density of its river network was considerable. The construction of extensive riverine infrastructure between the first-century BCE and first-century CE, alongside the creation of a para-littoral canal system connecting Adriatic ports to the Po, attests to the importance of fluvial transport within the region. The Po formed an important corridor for goods entering Northern Italy from the Adriatic, alongside exports travelling to the Danubian frontier via Aquileia, with Pliny the Elder claiming that the Po carried on its channel ‘all the products of the seas’. Within this chapter, route network analysis is used to illustrate how the waterways of Northern Italy drastically reduced the cost of transport across the region. The results of the analysis are compared with a selection of quantified amphora assemblages from urban sites along the river network, the contents of which show that imported amphora-borne goods travelled significant distances inland before transport costs affected their distribution. The combined network and amphora analyses suggest that Northern Italy’s network of rivers and lakes played a significant role in long-distance inland trade, with merchants making the full use of the diverse natural and man-made waterways on offer.
Water poses a particular challenge to the cities and settlements of the Po–Venetian plain. The re... more Water poses a particular challenge to the cities and settlements of the Po–Venetian plain. The region has some of the highest levels of precipitation in Italy and is criss-crossed by dozens of rivers, including the Po, Adige and Tagliamento. Throughout history, there was considerable hydrological risk to the well-being of riparian communities from hazards such as flooding and lateral channel movement, yet local residents did not sit idly by. This article synthesizes the available evidence for Roman responses to hydrological risk in the Po–Venetian plain from the first century BC to the sixth century AD, examining their workings and the hazards they sought to counteract, integrating them into wider discussions on risk in the Roman world. The responses are divided into the categories of defensive works (embankments and dykes) and channel interventions (channel rectification, channel diversion and dredging). While the effectiveness of these methods is questioned, in particular their potential to cause unintended changes to the watercourse, the decision by riparian communities to undertake them suggests a degree of local success. Nevertheless, an examination of the archaeological and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests a discrepancy between peak intervention and peak risk, implying increasing vulnerability and risk acceptance amongst riparian communities during late antiquity.
In this episode, I am joined by archaeologist and University of Edinburgh PhD candidate, James Pa... more In this episode, I am joined by archaeologist and University of Edinburgh PhD candidate, James Page. James shares his insights into how Romans dealt with a changing and often dangerous environment, and their resilience and adaptation through water management.
Uploads