Small Town

Between 1984 and 1991, the antique site of Brion, localized in the Médoc (Gironde, France), was the site of a series of excavations and geophysical research. In 1990 and 1991, electrical surveys conducted on over 7 ha have identified dozens of buildings and some street sections. Magnetic surveys carried out in 2011 have complemented our knowledge of this small town. This second method has not only substantially increased our ability to detect remains which are very weakly buried, but also helped us to locate structures of combustion (furnaces, ovens) and concentrations of magnetic materials (burnt clay). The very good results of these studies underline the complementarity of the two geophysical methods implemented on this site. Combined with archaeological data, they allow us at the end to discuss surroundings and limits of the town, street network and town planning scheme.

Abstract :
Study of a batch of glasses of the High Roman Empire unearthed in the artisanal district of La Vayssière in L’Hospitalet-du-Larzac (Aveyron). This study has revealed, on the site, the presence of common glassware, typical of Western Roman productions. Moreover, many rare and semiluxurious glasses of Eastern, Italic, Northern and regional origins have been dug out. Considering the impressive variety of shapes, it highlights significant trade flows and it gives an overview of the use of glass in Rutene territory and southern Aquitaine.

The international literature offers a number of motives which should incline local authorities toward strategic planning of local development; it also emphasizes that they should be strongly motivated to do that. Meanwhile, their actual motivation for such planning can remain low and dominated by motives so far unrecognized in the literature. The article presents research confirming this assumption, conducted in 2014 among the authorities of Polish small towns. The results reveal that the general motivation for strategic planning of local development among 37.7% of the authorities of Polish small towns is low. It also disclosed that the motive for obtaining means from the EU funds (so far unrecognized in literature) was and is motivating strongly at least 68.6% of these authorities for the discussed planning and, moreover, that it is a short-lived motive. The article indicates that this situation may also refer to other local authorities, not just the Polish ones. It also indicates that it is an unintended effect of the dependence of municipal development projects' support by the means from the EU funds on including them in the local development strategy. The final part of the article presents recommendations of actions to rectify such an unfavorable situation and for further studies of planning motives followed by local authorities.

In recent years the concept of social capital has gained great currency in discussions of community development, but connections to notions of place have not been widely addressed. This article considers the quality of place and its centrality to social capital. The authors draw from the ...

Stadtforschung ist in Deutschland traditionell großstadtorientiert. Kleinstädte werden weder in wissenschaftlichen noch in politischen Auseinandersetzungen in ihren Strukturen, Bedeutungen und Funktionen hinreichend wahrgenommen und differenziert betrachtet. Eine adäquate Erforschung von Kleinstädten erfordert systematische, vergleichende sowie inter- und transdisziplinäre Ansätze. Traditionelle Zuschreibungen sollten kritisch hinterfragt und Kleinstädte in ihrer Vielfalt und Differenziertheit empirisch untersucht werden. Dabei geht es sowohl um die äußeren Prägungen und heterogenen inneren Strukturen als auch um regionale Funktionen und Verflechtungen. Die Verfügbarkeit bzw. Generierung von statistischen Daten, die auch kleinräumige Analysen ermöglichen, sind dabei ebenso notwendig wie umfassendere Studien, die über begrenzte und anlassbezogene Einzelfalluntersuchungen hinausgehen. Schließlich sollten auch die Forschungsförderung und die akademische Lehre Kleinstädte systematischer...

Entre 1984 et 1991, le site antique de Brion, localise dans le Medoc (Gironde, France) a fait l'objet d'une serie de campagnes de fouilles et de recherches geophysiques. Les prospections electriques menees en 1990 et 1991 sur plus de 7 ha ont permis de reperer plusieurs dizaines de bâtiments et quelques troncons de voies. Des prospections magnetiques realisees en 2011 sont venues completer notre connaissance de cette agglomeration secondaire. Cette seconde methode a non seulement accru sensiblement notre capacite de detection des vestiges tres peu enfouis, mais nous a egalement permis de localiser des structures de combustion (fours, foyers) et des concentrations de materiaux magnetiques (terre cuite). Les excellents resultats de ces travaux soulignent la grande complementarite des deux methodes geophysiques mises en oeuvre sur ce site. Combines aux donnees archeologiques, ils permettent au final de discuter des abords et des limites de l'agglomeration, de la voirie et de l'urbanisme.

International audienceFanum Martis, present day Famars, a small Roman town unmentioned on the Peutinger map, nor in the Antonine itinerary, seems to have been an important economic actor within the Nervian territory and for its neighboring regions. The first major evidence of a Roman settlement goes back to the Tiberian or Claudian period, although some older vestiges exist. The presence of considerable amounts of raw material (clay deposits, sandstone and iron ore) has enabled its development from the end of the 1st c. AD onwards, and this to the detriment of Bavay, the territory’s Capital town. The unrest at the end of the 3rd c. has brought about an extensive campagne of reinforcement of the town walls all over the North of Gaul, amplified during the 4th c. and is concerning Famars. Its strategic position, controlling the river Scheldt and the Roman roads Bavay-Cambrai and Bavay-Tournai, may explain why Famars received during the 5th c. a praefectus laetorum Nerviorum Fanomantis ...