Border surveillance: Testing the territorial control of the Andalusian defense network in center-south Iberia through GIS

Canosa-Betés, Jorge

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.08.026

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Keeley, et al, 2007). In fact, viewsheds have been used as proxies for the measurement of the effective defensibility of archaeological settlements (Loots, et al, 1999, Martindale and Supernant, 2009, Parcero-Oubiña, 2013, Sakaguchi, et al, 2010 or larger polities (Canosa-Betés, 2016, Zhu, et al, 2017, or as key elements in analysing specific conflict events such as sieges (Rubio-Campillo, et al, 2015) or battlefields (Nolan, 2009). In a similar vein, visual control has been used as a key element in the analysis of conquest strategies and the domination of complex polities (Acuto, et al, 2012, Kosiba andBauer, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Now you see me. An assessment of the visual recognition and control of individuals in archaeological landscapes

Fábrega-Álvarez

Parcero‐Oubiña

2019

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Visibility analysis has become extremely popular in landscape-oriented archaeology in recent decades and has become even more widespread with the popularization of GIS tools, which have multiplied the ways in which visual perception can be analysed and digitally modelled. Visibility has been used as a proxy for different archaeological approaches, from the analysis of subjective perception to the assessment of strategic control. While interest has most often been focused on how objects, features and sites are perceived, there has also been an interest in how visual control is exerted from archaeological sites or other places in the landscape. Within the latter approaches, the distances at which visual control can be exercised have usually been determined in a more or less arbitrary manner, without a clear and empirically informed reference on how things and, especially, people can be observed and recognized differently at a distance. In this paper, we present the results of a field experiment carried out to measure the distances at which individuals can be spotted, recognized and identified with the naked eye in favourable conditions. Based on these results, we introduce the concept of Individual Distance Viewshed (IDV) as a GIS-based representation of visual control. This will serve as a reference to better qualify potential visibility in landscape analysis. Finally, we illustrate the applicability of this approach with a case study which explores the relationship between visual control and mobility during the Iron Age in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Now you see me. An assessment of the visual recognition and control of individuals in archaeological landscapes

Fábrega-Álvarez

Parcero‐Oubiña

2019

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Beginning with the topography, Digital Terrain Models (DTM) -apart from the most direct representations of height, slope and orientation-can be employed for analysing the visibility -either between specific points or to show complete viewsheds from a network of watchtowers (e.g. Llobera, 2007;Rua, Gonçalves, & Figueiredo, 2013;Deidda, Musa, & Vacca, 2015;Earley-Spadoni, 2015, Ferreira-Lopes & Molina, 2018Murphy, Gittings, & Crow, 2018)-, as well as for the obtention of the minimum cost paths and, hence, to retrace lost routes (Canosa-Betés, 2016) or to represent different groups of transit points which can explain episodes that may have happened during the journeys (Ferreira-Lopes & Pinto, 2018). Another possibility is to define an index of "defensiveness" based on the relief of the surrounding terrain that can explain the location of defensive structures and settlements.…”

Section: Geographic Information Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linear programming for the analysis and virtual recreation of historical events: the allocation of the artillery during the Siege of Bilbao in 1874

Miranda

Lopes

Martín-Etxebarria

et al. 2021

Virtual archaeol. rev.

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The current digital technologies development makes it possible to apply new forms of studying historical events considering the geographical point of view. They rely on the location and the relationships among the different elements that took part in them over a recreated space (e.g. relief, roads, rivers); once these elements have been laid out on the virtual space, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to analyse several factors, such as distances, visibility, connectivity and so on. Nevertheless, the development of the actions was also driven by the aims, needs and beliefs (either wise or misguided) of the people/actors involved in those situations; therefore, some ways of including reasoning would significantly improve the actual recreation and understanding of the episodes. In this sense, “linear programming” is a very versatile tool for system modelling and optimization that is broadly used in many fields (e.g. industry, transports, agriculture, etc.). Likewise, this technique can also be applied to past scenarios to simulate dynamics and cross-check sources. In this text, two models regarding the distribution and the allocation of supplies during the siege of Bilbao, in the framework of the Third Carlist War (1872-1876), from both parties —beleaguerer and besieged— were established based on the war front textual reports. In these models, the scenario is recreated through the system variables (which define the alternatives that can be or could have been taken) and the constraints (which limit the range of action); moreover, the actors’ goals that guided the course of events are defined by the objective. Despite the simplification in the modelling, the results show very interesting hints about the dynamics involved during the processes and are able to highlight some critical issues that significantly conditioned the final results. Besides, the modelling process itself proved to be an opportunity for collaboration between historians and computer scientists.Highlights:<ul><li>Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow studying past events through the recreation of the geographical space and the interactions between the elements.</li><li>Linear programming can be a suitable option to include actors’ reasoning as a part of the modelling process.</li><li>The usefulness of the system models also enables the identification of critical issues, testing alternative scenarios and sharing information.</li></ul>

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“…Two intertwined factors need to be explored here: visibility and mobility. The basic approach to visual control is to compute the viewshed area as seen from the site, its centroid, or its perimeter (Canosa-Betés, 2016;Lake & Ortega, 2013;Murphy et al, 2018;Rubio-Campillo & Hernàndez, 2015). However, the amount of territory visually controlled by Puig Ciutat is not significant here because the garrison needed to watch over the logistics routes towards Ilerda.…”

Section: The Local Dominance Of Puig Ciutatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a consequence, a multiscalar approach to landscapes of conflict may be useful to strengthen the interpretation of archaeological evidence of violent events without support from other sources (Nolan, 2009;Rubio-Campillo, 2008). Spatial analysis offers a toolkit of methods to explore landscape, being the most useful concepts for conflict a) visibility, and b) mobility (see examples in Canosa-Betés, 2016;Murphy et al, 2018;Rubio-Campillo & Hernàndez, 2015;Sivilich & Sivilich, 2015). Visual control is an essential trait of warfare because armies need constant updates on the position, size and intention of opponents as a means to avoid ambushes while maximising their geographical advantage in case of engagement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A spatial connectivity approach to landscapes of conflict: Julius Caesar and the assault to Puig Ciutat (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Rubio-Campillo¹,

Ble²,

Pujol³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Landscape plays a vital role in the development of military campaigns through the definition of geostrategic landmarks that structure the control of the territory, the imposition of constraints to the movement of armies, and the identification of positions that facilitate defensive tactics against aggressors. These factors are linked to the study of past spatial mobility which is typically performed using Least-Cost Path analysis (LCP). LCP identifies the optimal route that connects any two given points based on minimizing the accumulated cost based on a friction surface map, thus allowing archaeologists to identify the most efficient pathways across a territory. The main challenge of LCP analysis for archaeological regions is that optimal pathways are not well suited to define general mobility patterns within highly uncertain scenarios. Connectivity modelling based on Circuit Theory (CT) is an alternative approach to the study of mobility. CT does not generate a single path like LCP does; it captures the connectivity of an entire region identifying not only optimal paths, but also bottlenecks, dead-ends and any other spatial feature that may impact movement.We present here a framework to study landscapes of conflict using connectivity modelling; the framework combines CT, visibility analysis and statistical hypothesis testing to understand the reasons behind the assault and destruction of Puig Ciutat (NE Iberian Peninsula) during Julius Caesar's civil war. Results suggest that the site exerted decisive control over a highly connected area linking two possible logistical bases (Emporion and Massalia) to the armies fighting at Ilerda (49 BC).

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Border surveillance: Testing the territorial control of the Andalusian defense network in center-south Iberia through GIS

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Now you see me. An assessment of the visual recognition and control of individuals in archaeological landscapes

Now you see me. An assessment of the visual recognition and control of individuals in archaeological landscapes

Linear programming for the analysis and virtual recreation of historical events: the allocation of the artillery during the Siege of Bilbao in 1874

A spatial connectivity approach to landscapes of conflict: Julius Caesar and the assault to Puig Ciutat (NE Iberian Peninsula)

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