Palaeogeographic-Analysis Approaches to Transport and Settlement in the Dutch Part of the Roman Limes

Abstract

The aim of the PhD research on which this chapter is based is to reconstruct and analyse the cultural landscape of the Dutch limes area using computational approaches, specifically to model and analyse transport networks, settlement patterns and their relationship with the natural environment, to better understand the interactions between the Roman military population and the local population that lived in this frontier region. The goal of this chapter is to present the general results of this study and showcase the technical, methodological and interpretative aspects that it has contributed to the research field of computational archaeology and to the archaeological understanding of the Dutch part of the Roman limes.

Modeling multivariate landscape affordances and functional ecosystem connectivity in landscape archeology

“…Among other formal approaches of statistic applications in (geo)archeology (Carlson 2017;Conolly and Lake 2006;Nakoinz and Knitter 2016;Verhagen et al 2010), multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and multivariate modeling (MM) have proven to be useful tools for the integration of human behavior in geospatial quantitative research (Groenhuijzen 2019;van Lanen et al 2015aBesides the premise of multiple criteria, MCDA incorporates decisions made by individuals who have very specific views, demands, and goals on how their interests could be realized (Mendoza and Martins 2006). Technically, both methods are based on the integration of various GISattributed datasets that contain environmental data and surface classifications (Groenhuijzen 2019;Howey 2011;Howey and Brouwer Burg 2017;van Dinter 2013). In some cases, MCDA is used to study movement corridors or model least-cost paths (LCP) based on so-called accumulative cost surfaces (van Lanen et al 2015b;van Lanen et al 2015a).…”

Paradigm and pragmatism: GIS‐based spatial analyses of Roman infrastructure networks and land‐use concepts in the Upper Rhine Valley

“…For this reason, various environmental data sets were merged into cross‐border GIS surfaces (Figure ). These include soil units, natural drainage potential, aquifer height, slope gradients, and vegetation coverage (Groenhuijzen, ; van Dinter, ). Through the selection process and evaluation of the environmental control factors, patterns in the spatial distribution of Roman roads in the landscape can be reconstructed.…”

“…Consequently, geomorphological conditions have a direct bearing on the selection of specific areas for development. To evaluate potential paleogeography, first of all, involves the manual linkage of various source datasets in a GIS (Groenhuijzen, ; Kempf, ; van Dinter, ). This allows the inductive selection and interpretation of the different physical control factors that affect the cultural use and modification of the landscape.…”

Modelling of Pathways and Movement Networks in Archaeology: An Overview of Current Approaches

“…Using relative distances instead of Euclidean ones can potentially lead to different configurations and thus interpretations of the networks. Several authors (Kaddouri 2004;Llobera et al 2011;Herzog 2013b;Verhagen et al 2013;Verhagen et al 2014;Groenhuijzen andVerhagen 2015, 2016;Orengo and Livarda 2016) have explored the potential of using network analysis techniques with path modelling. Moving from LCPs to network analysis however implies that we first need to reconstruct the full network of possible connections.…”

“…Networks created using least-cost path modelling are relatively easily integrated with space syntax (Verhagen 2013;Verhagen et al 2013). Combining path models with node-based network analysis is also feasible and gradually becoming more common (Coward 2013;Bevan and Wilson 2013;Groenhuijzen andVerhagen 2015, 2017;Paliou and Bevan 2016), but we are still a long way from a full integration of both approaches. A significant obstacle is still found in the fact that common network analysis tools are not capable of directly using cost surfaces to (re)construct networks, or to calculate network metrics using non-Euclidean distances.…”