The Long and Winding Road: Combining Least Cost Paths and Network Analysis Techniques for Settlement Location Analysis and Predictive Modelling

Abstract

In this paper, we describe an exploratory analysis of the possibilities of combining least cost path analysis and network analysis techniques. Accessibility is a potentially important site location factor. So far, the cost paths. However, these methods do not provide direct information on the foci of movement. Starting from networks created from least cost paths, network analysis and space syntax were used to obtain additional information on the structural features of the network. It is concluded that both techniques can be used with least cost path-based networks, and will provide new insights into the characteristics of the network. For most applications however the space syntax measures that take the geographical dimension into account seem to be preferable to the simple network analysis measures used here.

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.…”

“…Archaeological examples are mainly restricted to the analysis of architectural complexes (e.g. Chapman 1990 ;Blanton 1994;Banning 1997;Van Dyke 1999;Clark 2007) and urban street networks (Stöger 2008(Stöger , 2015, although it has been extended to non-urban contexts as well (Hudson 2012;Craane 2013), and it can be combined with other network analysis approaches (Verhagen et al 2013).…”

“…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 side-by-side comparison of different modelling outcomes is currently often a very demanding exercise, even when the goals and approaches are fairly similar -see e.g. Verhagen et al (2013) on comparing space syntax and SNA, or Gietl et al (2008) on comparing different LCP algorithms. In practice, therefore, the outcomes of single models are often presented as the only possible representation of the research results.…”

Finding a Way: Modeling Landscape Prerequisites for Roman and Early‐Medieval Routes in the Netherlands

“…Although “traditional” predictive models deliver exactly what they are designed to do (predictive models primarily based on environmental variables), there is an increasing demand from the archaeological community for more explanatory models. In order for predictive modeling to meet these new demands and remain relevant for archaeology, new methods, concepts, and theories need to be developed (Verhagen & Jeneson, ; Verhagen et al., 2013a, ; Whitley & Burns, ). Whereas the recent debate on modeling accessibility has largely focused on correctly defining different cost‐surface modules such as friction layers, least‐cost paths, and viewshed analyses, the actual application of cultural integrated models has been limited (Herzog, ; Herzog, , , ; Murrieta‐Flores, 2012; Verhagen, ; Zakšek et al., ).…”