ABSTRACT Long-term changes in visibility patterns between urban settlements are considered an imp... more ABSTRACT Long-term changes in visibility patterns between urban settlements are considered an important factor for understanding Iron Age II settlement locations in Southern Spain. From some settlements, the surrounding landscape and other settlements could be visually controlled, and some settlements are argued to be intervisible to allow for communication through visual signals. However, the study of how these visibility patterns changed in the subsequent Roman period in this region is largely ignored. In this paper, we argue that visibility might still have structured interactions between communities in Roman times and should not be dismissed out of hand merely because more and other data sources are available as compared to the Iron Age. However, the way in which it affected human behaviour might have been different in Roman times as compared to the Iron Age. We argue that simulating archaeologists’ hypotheses about the emergence of inter-settlement visibility is a promising way of understanding such differences. To do this, we use exponential random graph modelling (ERGM), a statistical network simulation modelling technique that allows us to simulate hypotheses about the emergence and long-term change of visibility networks. We combine this approach with an exploratory analysis of the observed visibility networks between identified urban settlements, which will reveal similarities and differences in the changing patterns of visibility networks through time. The results of the ERGMs are then compared with the changes in the observed network structure. We conclude that our knowledge of the changes from the Iron Age II to the Roman settlement pattern suggests only gradual changes in the role of visibility in structuring inter-settlement interactions, possibly followed by a disintegration of the visibility network after the Roman Early Imperial period.
... Following the success of the trial season of geophysics at the Latin town of Gabii in 2007, w... more ... Following the success of the trial season of geophysics at the Latin town of Gabii in 2007, which revealed a part of the infrastructure of the city to the north of the excavated urban area, a systematic magnetometry survey was undertaken of the complete area within the city walls. ...
This paper presents a detailed description of the sediments trapped by the Canale Romano in the I... more This paper presents a detailed description of the sediments trapped by the Canale Romano in the Imperial harbour complex of Portus (Rome). The study confirms the hypothesis of a Roman canal (active during the early 2nd century AD and the 3rd/5th century AD) with a maximum water-depth between 4.36 and 7.37 m. The function of this canal as a harbour seems to particularly fit with the data available. This study follows a multidisciplinary approach. It combines all previous data available on the Canale Romano (geophysical surveys, archaeological and historical data) and provides a new palaeoenvironmental dataset in order to draw a more complete overview about its history. Three cores drilled in the Canale Romano are analyzed using sedimentological data, CM diagram and bioindicators, 14C and archaeological data. Four main sedimentation phases were identified: (1) Pre-canal deposits; (2) relatively quiet fluvial environment deposits; (3) flood sediments inputs; and (4) fine sediment infill after the cut-off of the canal. In the discussion, the paper attempts to put this stratigraphic sequence into context of the reorganization of the harbour of Imperial Rome during the reign of Trajan (early 2nd century AD) and its subsequent evolution.
Summary. Until comparatively recently the archaeological study of ancient towns had been largely ... more Summary. Until comparatively recently the archaeological study of ancient towns had been largely conditioned by urban development or individual research interests. This is especially true of Mediterranean sites whose especial richness has generated most attention upon their monumental aspect. Such work provides us with only partial glimpses of urban landscapes which are by definition complex and dynamic. An increasing awareness of this in recent years has led to archaeologists explicitly adopting sampling based strategies when confronting ancient towns. This paper attempts to outline the sampling-based research design employed at a multi-period town site in southern Spain. The integrated use of topographical survey, systematic surface sherding and geophysics provided a valuable insight into the spatial patterning of surface and sub-surface archaeological features. This allowed a hypothesis about the ancient topography of the town to be proposed and for it to be successfully tested by open-area excavation.
ABSTRACT 1. Research objectives The Roman Towns Project aims to study the full range of Roman urb... more ABSTRACT 1. Research objectives The Roman Towns Project aims to study the full range of Roman urban settlements in the lower and middle Tiber valley by means of systematic survey. Our strategy has been to use topographical survey, geophysics and systematic surface survey on a site-by-site basis, undertaking the survey of one major and one minor site each year. The intention is to publish the results of each survey as soon as possible after completion of the fieldwork, and to draw together the results from the survey as a whole in a final volume at the end of the project. There is little doubt that the project has been successful in achieving its broader strategic aims, investigating a full range of settlements from road-side stations to major towns and a port, and covering a chronology that extends from the sixth and fifth centuries BC through into the sixth century AD. Methodology, however, has had to adapt to circumstance. The sheer size and complexity of some of larger sites have made it difficult to pair the survey of one minor and one major site each year. 2. Data collection and analysis Our underlying methodology of integrating systematic surface collection and geophysics has, in general, proved a very cost-efficient means of understanding the layout of large Roman urban sites. At the same time, while successful, it is less efficient for some of the smaller sites. Experience has reinforced our belief that there is no ideal combination of methods that fits all sites. The geomorphology, topography, degree of preservation and cultural background of all the sites was very different and meant that a tailor made strategy had to be developed for each. This was true for both geophysics and surface collection. Compare, for example, the clarity of the geophysical and surface collection results from Falerii Novi and Capena. Another key issue has been scale of analysis - compare Portus and Forum Cassii or Seripola. Alternatively, Vignale was one of the few sites that lent itself to phosphate analysis. Otricoli stands in contrast to all of these - with a highly complex contemporary landscape within which post-Roman geomorphological change may mask buried Roman structures at considerable depth. Other aspects for consideration include the need for relatively small field teams, as well as well-trained specialists for post-processing the results; as well as the importance of contracting local expertise for dealing with the ceramics and other finds. 3. Results and conclusions i. Falerii Novi The use of volcanic building materials generated extremely clear results. These tell us a lot about the density of occupation within a major Roman town, and the relationship between public buildings. Systematic surface survey proved very effective at defining chronological and functional variation at the micro level.
Summary: Turdetania was one of the Iron Age cultural blocks which emerged after the disintegratio... more Summary: Turdetania was one of the Iron Age cultural blocks which emerged after the disintegration of Tartessos in the later 6th century BC. It corresponded largely to the lower Guadalquívir valley of southern Spain. From the early 2nd century BC it formed the heart of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior and, from the later 1st century BC, Hispania Baetica. This paper sets out to examine the Romanisation of the region from an indigenous perspective rather than a Romano-centric viewpoint. Until the mid-first century BC Roman impact was negligble and merely served to reinforce the Turdetanian prestige goods economy. Subsequently, however, the foundation of coloniae and a consequent increase in commercial activity were catalysts for rapid change. A new hierarchy of dominant and dependent centres arise and, by the early 1st century AD, the agricultural wealth of the region was being more directly exploited for Rome's benefit. This relatively ‘delayed’Romanisation is interpreted as native resistance to cultural change.
Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of So... more Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BF, UK <t.brughmans@soton.ac.uk>. See <www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/leon/45/3> for supplemental files associated with this issue. Submitted: 4 October 2011 Abstract In this article the authors highlight some of the issues surrounding the study of past urban connectivity and how archaeologists can deal with them by adopting a complex networks research perspective. The 'Urban ...
Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of So... more Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BF, UK <t.brughmans@soton.ac.uk>. See <www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/leon/45/3> for supplemental files associated with this issue. Submitted: 4 October 2011 Abstract In this article the authors highlight some of the issues surrounding the study of past urban connectivity and how archaeologists can deal with them by adopting a complex networks research perspective. The 'Urban ...
"The harbour system of Narbo Martius (Narbonne, France) and its facilities during Antiquity", Har... more "The harbour system of Narbo Martius (Narbonne, France) and its facilities during Antiquity", Harbours as objects of interdisciplinary research – Archaeology + History + Geosciences DFG Priority Programme 1630 „Harbours from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages“, Kiel, 30th of September – 3rd of October 2015
The actual city of Narbonne in south of France was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis and a city-port located at the crossroad of the Via Domitia which linked Italy to Spain and the Via Aquitania which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the “emporion of all Gaul” in the words of Strabo was in fact a vast system of hundreds of occupation sites organised around a huge natural water area into a local internal network. Within the framework of the ERC funded project Rome’s Mediterranean Ports – Portus Limen and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Project of Research: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define what was the harbour system of the Colonia Narbo Martius since its foundation in 118 BC until the late antiquity. This paper aims to reconstruct the evolution of this harbour system taking into account the major transformation of the landscape, the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of the harbour activities. The recent archaeological discoveries allow new interpretations about the functioning of one of the most important Roman port of the western Mediterranean. The integration of all the data available into a GIS and into an interdisciplinary database allows visualizing the harbour system and its evolution over five centuries.
ABSTRACT Long-term changes in visibility patterns between urban settlements are considered an imp... more ABSTRACT Long-term changes in visibility patterns between urban settlements are considered an important factor for understanding Iron Age II settlement locations in Southern Spain. From some settlements, the surrounding landscape and other settlements could be visually controlled, and some settlements are argued to be intervisible to allow for communication through visual signals. However, the study of how these visibility patterns changed in the subsequent Roman period in this region is largely ignored. In this paper, we argue that visibility might still have structured interactions between communities in Roman times and should not be dismissed out of hand merely because more and other data sources are available as compared to the Iron Age. However, the way in which it affected human behaviour might have been different in Roman times as compared to the Iron Age. We argue that simulating archaeologists’ hypotheses about the emergence of inter-settlement visibility is a promising way of understanding such differences. To do this, we use exponential random graph modelling (ERGM), a statistical network simulation modelling technique that allows us to simulate hypotheses about the emergence and long-term change of visibility networks. We combine this approach with an exploratory analysis of the observed visibility networks between identified urban settlements, which will reveal similarities and differences in the changing patterns of visibility networks through time. The results of the ERGMs are then compared with the changes in the observed network structure. We conclude that our knowledge of the changes from the Iron Age II to the Roman settlement pattern suggests only gradual changes in the role of visibility in structuring inter-settlement interactions, possibly followed by a disintegration of the visibility network after the Roman Early Imperial period.
... Following the success of the trial season of geophysics at the Latin town of Gabii in 2007, w... more ... Following the success of the trial season of geophysics at the Latin town of Gabii in 2007, which revealed a part of the infrastructure of the city to the north of the excavated urban area, a systematic magnetometry survey was undertaken of the complete area within the city walls. ...
This paper presents a detailed description of the sediments trapped by the Canale Romano in the I... more This paper presents a detailed description of the sediments trapped by the Canale Romano in the Imperial harbour complex of Portus (Rome). The study confirms the hypothesis of a Roman canal (active during the early 2nd century AD and the 3rd/5th century AD) with a maximum water-depth between 4.36 and 7.37 m. The function of this canal as a harbour seems to particularly fit with the data available. This study follows a multidisciplinary approach. It combines all previous data available on the Canale Romano (geophysical surveys, archaeological and historical data) and provides a new palaeoenvironmental dataset in order to draw a more complete overview about its history. Three cores drilled in the Canale Romano are analyzed using sedimentological data, CM diagram and bioindicators, 14C and archaeological data. Four main sedimentation phases were identified: (1) Pre-canal deposits; (2) relatively quiet fluvial environment deposits; (3) flood sediments inputs; and (4) fine sediment infill after the cut-off of the canal. In the discussion, the paper attempts to put this stratigraphic sequence into context of the reorganization of the harbour of Imperial Rome during the reign of Trajan (early 2nd century AD) and its subsequent evolution.
Summary. Until comparatively recently the archaeological study of ancient towns had been largely ... more Summary. Until comparatively recently the archaeological study of ancient towns had been largely conditioned by urban development or individual research interests. This is especially true of Mediterranean sites whose especial richness has generated most attention upon their monumental aspect. Such work provides us with only partial glimpses of urban landscapes which are by definition complex and dynamic. An increasing awareness of this in recent years has led to archaeologists explicitly adopting sampling based strategies when confronting ancient towns. This paper attempts to outline the sampling-based research design employed at a multi-period town site in southern Spain. The integrated use of topographical survey, systematic surface sherding and geophysics provided a valuable insight into the spatial patterning of surface and sub-surface archaeological features. This allowed a hypothesis about the ancient topography of the town to be proposed and for it to be successfully tested by open-area excavation.
ABSTRACT 1. Research objectives The Roman Towns Project aims to study the full range of Roman urb... more ABSTRACT 1. Research objectives The Roman Towns Project aims to study the full range of Roman urban settlements in the lower and middle Tiber valley by means of systematic survey. Our strategy has been to use topographical survey, geophysics and systematic surface survey on a site-by-site basis, undertaking the survey of one major and one minor site each year. The intention is to publish the results of each survey as soon as possible after completion of the fieldwork, and to draw together the results from the survey as a whole in a final volume at the end of the project. There is little doubt that the project has been successful in achieving its broader strategic aims, investigating a full range of settlements from road-side stations to major towns and a port, and covering a chronology that extends from the sixth and fifth centuries BC through into the sixth century AD. Methodology, however, has had to adapt to circumstance. The sheer size and complexity of some of larger sites have made it difficult to pair the survey of one minor and one major site each year. 2. Data collection and analysis Our underlying methodology of integrating systematic surface collection and geophysics has, in general, proved a very cost-efficient means of understanding the layout of large Roman urban sites. At the same time, while successful, it is less efficient for some of the smaller sites. Experience has reinforced our belief that there is no ideal combination of methods that fits all sites. The geomorphology, topography, degree of preservation and cultural background of all the sites was very different and meant that a tailor made strategy had to be developed for each. This was true for both geophysics and surface collection. Compare, for example, the clarity of the geophysical and surface collection results from Falerii Novi and Capena. Another key issue has been scale of analysis - compare Portus and Forum Cassii or Seripola. Alternatively, Vignale was one of the few sites that lent itself to phosphate analysis. Otricoli stands in contrast to all of these - with a highly complex contemporary landscape within which post-Roman geomorphological change may mask buried Roman structures at considerable depth. Other aspects for consideration include the need for relatively small field teams, as well as well-trained specialists for post-processing the results; as well as the importance of contracting local expertise for dealing with the ceramics and other finds. 3. Results and conclusions i. Falerii Novi The use of volcanic building materials generated extremely clear results. These tell us a lot about the density of occupation within a major Roman town, and the relationship between public buildings. Systematic surface survey proved very effective at defining chronological and functional variation at the micro level.
Summary: Turdetania was one of the Iron Age cultural blocks which emerged after the disintegratio... more Summary: Turdetania was one of the Iron Age cultural blocks which emerged after the disintegration of Tartessos in the later 6th century BC. It corresponded largely to the lower Guadalquívir valley of southern Spain. From the early 2nd century BC it formed the heart of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior and, from the later 1st century BC, Hispania Baetica. This paper sets out to examine the Romanisation of the region from an indigenous perspective rather than a Romano-centric viewpoint. Until the mid-first century BC Roman impact was negligble and merely served to reinforce the Turdetanian prestige goods economy. Subsequently, however, the foundation of coloniae and a consequent increase in commercial activity were catalysts for rapid change. A new hierarchy of dominant and dependent centres arise and, by the early 1st century AD, the agricultural wealth of the region was being more directly exploited for Rome's benefit. This relatively ‘delayed’Romanisation is interpreted as native resistance to cultural change.
Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of So... more Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BF, UK <t.brughmans@soton.ac.uk>. See <www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/leon/45/3> for supplemental files associated with this issue. Submitted: 4 October 2011 Abstract In this article the authors highlight some of the issues surrounding the study of past urban connectivity and how archaeologists can deal with them by adopting a complex networks research perspective. The 'Urban ...
Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of So... more Tom Brughmans, Simon Keay, Graeme Earl, Archaeological Computing Research Group, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BF, UK <t.brughmans@soton.ac.uk>. See <www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/leon/45/3> for supplemental files associated with this issue. Submitted: 4 October 2011 Abstract In this article the authors highlight some of the issues surrounding the study of past urban connectivity and how archaeologists can deal with them by adopting a complex networks research perspective. The 'Urban ...
"The harbour system of Narbo Martius (Narbonne, France) and its facilities during Antiquity", Har... more "The harbour system of Narbo Martius (Narbonne, France) and its facilities during Antiquity", Harbours as objects of interdisciplinary research – Archaeology + History + Geosciences DFG Priority Programme 1630 „Harbours from the Roman Period to the Middle Ages“, Kiel, 30th of September – 3rd of October 2015
The actual city of Narbonne in south of France was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis and a city-port located at the crossroad of the Via Domitia which linked Italy to Spain and the Via Aquitania which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the “emporion of all Gaul” in the words of Strabo was in fact a vast system of hundreds of occupation sites organised around a huge natural water area into a local internal network. Within the framework of the ERC funded project Rome’s Mediterranean Ports – Portus Limen and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Project of Research: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define what was the harbour system of the Colonia Narbo Martius since its foundation in 118 BC until the late antiquity. This paper aims to reconstruct the evolution of this harbour system taking into account the major transformation of the landscape, the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of the harbour activities. The recent archaeological discoveries allow new interpretations about the functioning of one of the most important Roman port of the western Mediterranean. The integration of all the data available into a GIS and into an interdisciplinary database allows visualizing the harbour system and its evolution over five centuries.
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The actual city of Narbonne in south of France was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis and a city-port located at the crossroad of the Via Domitia which linked Italy to Spain and the Via Aquitania which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the “emporion of all Gaul” in the words of Strabo was in fact a vast system of hundreds of occupation sites organised around a huge natural water area into a local internal network.
Within the framework of the ERC funded project Rome’s Mediterranean Ports – Portus Limen and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Project of Research: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define what was the harbour system of the Colonia Narbo Martius since its foundation in 118 BC until the late antiquity.
This paper aims to reconstruct the evolution of this harbour system taking into account the major transformation of the landscape, the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of the harbour activities. The recent archaeological discoveries allow new interpretations about the functioning of one of the most important Roman port of the western Mediterranean. The integration of all the data available into a GIS and into an interdisciplinary database allows visualizing the harbour system and its evolution over five centuries.
The actual city of Narbonne in south of France was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis and a city-port located at the crossroad of the Via Domitia which linked Italy to Spain and the Via Aquitania which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the “emporion of all Gaul” in the words of Strabo was in fact a vast system of hundreds of occupation sites organised around a huge natural water area into a local internal network.
Within the framework of the ERC funded project Rome’s Mediterranean Ports – Portus Limen and thanks to a partnership with the Collective Project of Research: Les ports antiques de Narbonne (CNRS, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes), it has been possible to precisely define what was the harbour system of the Colonia Narbo Martius since its foundation in 118 BC until the late antiquity.
This paper aims to reconstruct the evolution of this harbour system taking into account the major transformation of the landscape, the human occupation of the area and the artificial development of the harbour activities. The recent archaeological discoveries allow new interpretations about the functioning of one of the most important Roman port of the western Mediterranean. The integration of all the data available into a GIS and into an interdisciplinary database allows visualizing the harbour system and its evolution over five centuries.