Finding the Limits of the Limes

This open access book demonstrates the application of simulation modelling and network analysis techniques in the field of Roman studies. It summarizes and discusses the results of a 5-year research project carried out by the editors that aimed to apply spatial dynamical modelling to reconstruct and understand the socio-economic development of the Dutch part of the Roman frontier (limes) zone, in particular the agrarian economy and the related development of settlement patterns and transport networks in the area. The project papers are accompanied by invited chapters presenting case studies and reflections from other parts of the Roman Empire focusing on the themes of subsistence economy, demography, transport and mobility, and socio-economic networks in the Roman period. The book shows the added value of state-of-the-art computer modelling techniques and bridges computational and conventional approaches. Topics that will be of particular interest to archaeologists are the question of (forced) surplus production, the demographic and economic effects of the Roman occupation on the local population, and the structuring of transport networks and settlement patterns. For modellers, issues of sensitivity analysis and validation of modelling results are specifically addressed. This book will appeal to students and researchers working in the computational humanities and social sciences, in particular, archaeology and ancient history

All roads lead to Constantinople: Exploring the Via Militaris in the medieval Balkans, 600-1204

This thesis explores the Via Militaris, the grand military highway that diagonally bisected the Balkan Peninsula, as it existed in the Middle Ages. It explores the questions of what was the physical condition of the road during this period, in what manner did its condition and route differ from the road which existed in the Roman and Ottoman periods, and what efforts, if any, did the Byzantine state make in order to maintain its surface. In doing so this thesis explores the historiographical background of the route, charting the contributions made by Konstantin Jireček amongst others, but also examining the comparatively parlous state of contemporary research on this topic, discussing how our current understanding of this route and the role it played during the crusading period in particular, is hampered by a lack of fundamental research. Finally, this thesis presents as a case study the passage of the German contingent of the Third Crusade across the Balkans, 1188-1189, as led by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. This serves as an example of how a more focused study of the road and its condition can greatly enhance our understanding of this region as a whole, and furthermore provides valuable insights into how the Byzantine state sought to strategically use geographical space as a means by which to apply logistical pressure. Through an increased emphasis on fieldwork, examples of which can be found within, and the application of new techniques of GIS imaging and logistical modelling, this thesis argues it is possible to create a far more comprehensive depiction of the route as currently exists, and demonstrates how this might not only transform current thinking on medieval logistics, but through a far more nuanced understanding of the physical connections that linked the city of Constantinople with its immediate hinterland, also the cultural and social histories of the medieval Balkans as a whole

The ecology of Roman trade. Reconstructing provincial connectivity with similarity measures

The creation of the Roman Empire promoted the connectivity of a vast area around the Mediterranean sea. Mobility and trade flourished over the Roman provinces as massive amounts of goods were shipped over thousands of kilometres through sea, rivers and road networks. Several works have explored these dynamics of interaction in specific case studies but there is still no consensus on the intensity of this connectivity beyond local trade. We argue here that the debate on the degree of large-scale connectivity across the empire is caused by a lack of appropriate methods and proxies of economic activity. The last years have seen an improvement on the availability of evidence as a growing amount of datasets is collected and published. However, data does not equal knowledge and the methods used to analyse this evidence have not advanced at the same pace. A new framework of connectivity analysis has been applied here to reveal the existence of distinctive trade routes through the provinces of the Western region of Rome. The amphora stamps collected over more than a thousand sites have been analysed using quantitative measures of similarity. The patterns that emerge from the analysis highlight the intense connectivity derived from factors such as the spatial closeness, presence of military units and the relevance of the Atlantic sea as a main shipping route

The View from Malakand: Harold Deane's 'Note on Udyana and Gandhara'

The View from Malakand: Harold Deane's 'Note on Udyana and Gandhara' presents an edition with introductions and extensive commentary of a manuscript, discovered by Luca M. Olivieri in the fort at Malakand, Swat, Pakistan, of a seminal and pioneering account of the antiquities of Swat and Peshawar by Harold Deane. The article of which this manuscript is an earlier draft, the first significant contribution to the archaeology of Swat, was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society (1896), and the manuscript contains interesting additional information that did not make the final text. The book presents and transcribes the manuscript, also including introductory material on its discovery and the life and significance of Deane, and (most importantly) extended notes identifying and describing the places that Deane discusses in his article. The book thus doubles as a gazetteer of this immensely rich archaeological space, and a history of its archaeological discovery. The book includes images of the original article, the manuscript, some of the artefacts referred to by Deane in his article, and an appendix publishing a manuscript by J. W. McCrindle, 'Alexander's Campaign in Afghanistan', found among a small number of Deane's papers in the possession of his great-grandson in England, which is directly relevant to the composition of his article

Beyond Functionalism: A Quantitative Survey and Semiotic Reading of Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian’s Wall is perhaps one of the best studied, but east understood,Roman monuments in Britain. Traditional interpretations have sought to identify one underlying principle to the Wall’s function. Similarly, the Wall’s purpose has often been interpreted as solely functional, with either military or ‘customs barrier’ arguments proposed. However, military theories are at odds with both general Roman practice of the time, which sought to defeat enemies in the field, and the Wall’s generally low level of soldiery per kilometre. Customs barrier arguments cannot account for the seemingly illogical placement of structures along the line of the Wall. Furthermore, both these interpretations are connected to a broader dialogue between the Victorian era, which saw the rise of Wall-scholarship, and the modern world which effectively excluded the Roman context within which the Wall was constructed. It is the question of the Wall’s intent and purpose, as well as the structure’s place in the wider Roman world, that this thesis explores. This necessitates an innovative combination of techniques including historiography, theory, quantitative survey and modelling. A theoretical standpoint is adopted that considers the construction from a symbolic perspective as an explicit means for understanding the original purpose of the Wall. Quantitative survey is used to reveal the full extent of the structure’s symbolic ower, the results of which can also evaluate dominant functional theories. Importantly, in emphasising theory and the Roman context alongside traditional functional models, this thesis reconnects the Wall to its original context within the Roman world. This research aims to stimulate debate on both the purpose of the Wall and its place in the wider Roman world, whilst also creating a framework for using quantitative theory to assess symbolic potential

Identity, war and the state in India : the case of the Nagas

This thesis is a political history of the Nagas of the Naga hills, from the 1820s to the 1960s. By drawing on a wealth of primary sources unutilised hithero, and an extensive contextualisation with comparative and theoretical literature, it seeks to render the respective agents' actions meaningful and thus challenges the established historiography in three periods - pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial.While imperialist historiography of the pre-colonial period still predominates, and made the Nagas responsible for their own subjugation, this work shows that the logic of the British empire made it poised for conquest. Subsequently the colonial rulers were able to blame the vicissitudes of Naga society on the Nagas themselves. This thesis offers an alternative version of the Naga hill region as home to a plethora of polities conscious of the superior power of their plains' neighbours.While social science' writings tend to blame colonialism for post-colonial identities and wars, here it is demonstrated that agency and identity-formation are an on-going process and neither started nor ended with colonialism. Although the interaction of the local population with colonialism produced a Naga national elite, it was the Indian political class that came into existence the same way which succeeded in, having access to superior means of nation and state-building so as to enable it undertake the modem Indo-Naga war. And it was this war that firmly made the Nagas into a "nation" - setting them onto the road to independence. This work fundamentally revises our understanding of the existing "histories" of the Nagas by exposing them as ahistorical - consciously or unconsciously - influenced by colonial or post-colonial narratives of domination

White paper on the future of plasma science and technology in plastics and textiles

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: “Uros, C., Walsh, J., Cernák, M., Labay, C., Canal, J.M., Canal, C. (2019) White paper on the future of plasma science and technology in plastics and textiles. Plasma processes and polymers, 16 1 which has been published in final form at [doi: 10.1002/ppap.201700228]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."This white paper considers the future of plasma science and technology related to the manufacturing and modifications of plastics and textiles, summarizing existing efforts and the current state‐of‐art for major topics related to plasma processing techniques. It draws on the frontier of plasma technologies in order to see beyond and identify the grand challenges which we face in the following 5–10 years. To progress and move the frontier forward, the paper highlights the major enabling technologies and topics related to the design of surfaces, coatings and materials with non‐equilibrium plasmas. The aim is to progress the field of plastics and textile production using advanced plasma processing as the key enabling technology which is environmentally friendly, cost efficient, and offers high‐speed processingPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Productive landscapes and trade networks in the Roman Empire

La investigación actual sobre la economía de los alimentos en el mundo romano queda reflejada en esta obra, que aborda la producción y distribución de tales bienes fundamentales desde el estudio de casos y la innovación metodológica. Su configuración parte de una iniciativa del proyecto europeo EPNet, que reunió a los distintos autores participantes en el volumen con motivo de una sesión específica de la 27.ª Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (Durham, marzo de 2017). Aunque también se trata el abastecimiento de trigo, las contribuciones se dedican mayoritariamente al aceite y el vino. Los casos de estudio se concentran en el occidente romano, con especial atención a Italia e Hispania. Se incluyen contextos productivos y de redistribución, particularmente en los asentamientos militares fronterizos y la capital. Metodológicamente destacan las estrategias de cuantificación, el análisis SIG y la modelización. Se contrastan aspectos geográficos y arqueológicos de las diversas zonas de estudio para extraer conclusiones relativas a los patrones de asentamiento rural, la producción de alimentos y envases anfóricos, y sus redes de distribución comercial. De tal forma se dibuja un panorama amplio, vertebrado en torno a una cuestión clave para el funcionamiento y la sostenibilidad del Imperio: la economía alimentaria. Este amplio abanico metodológico resulta sugerente para la orientación de nuevas investigaciones que, de forma complementaria, se unan para profundizar en las razones del prolongado éxito de la cultura romana

Archaeology and Environment in Northumberland

Eventful, influential and absorbing, the early history of Northumberland is a fascinating story that has rarely been brought together under one cover. In this authoritative historical account, the authors bring to bear a huge quantity of old and new data and craft it into an in-depth synthesis. The authors deliver this history in chronological order from a perspective that places human activity and environment at its core. The narrative extends from the Palaeolithic through to, and including, the Anglo-Saxon period. This enormous sweep of history is supported by a robust radiocarbon chronology, with all available dates for the region brought together and calibrated against the most recent calibration curves for the first time. The geographic focus of the volume is North Northumberland but the narrative frequently extends to cover the whole county and occasionally further afield into neighbouring areas so as to deal with key topics at an appropriate geographic scale and to take account of important information from nearby areas. This second volume in the Till-Tweed monograph series follows on from the first volume, Managing Archaeological Landscapes in Northumberland , which provided a considerable quantity of new field data, in addition to presenting a landscape management methodology based around the "landform element" approach

Handbook of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Economies

The notion of the “Silk Road” that the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen invented in the 19th century has lost attraction to scholars in light of large amounts of new evidence and new approaches. The handbook suggests new conceptual and methodological tools for researching ancient economic exchange in a global perspective with a strong focus on recent debates on the nature of pre-modern empires.The interdisciplinary team of Chinese, Indian and Graeco-Roman historians, archaeologists and anthropologists that has written this handbook compares different forms of economic development in agrarian and steppe regions in a period of accelerated empire formation during 300 BCE and 300 CE. It investigates inter-imperial zones and networks of exchange which were crucial for ancient Eurasian connections.Volume I provides a comparative history of the most important empires forming in Northern Africa, Europe and Asia between 300 BCE and 300 CE. It surveys a wide range of evidence that can be brought to bear on economic development in the these empires, and takes stock of the ways academic traditions have shaped different understandings of economic and imperial development as well as Silk-Road exchange in Russia, China, India and Western Graeco-Roman history