Post-prehistoric changes in the Tavoliere coastlands: (Apulia, Italy)

This thesis is concerned with related aspects of physical and settlement changes in the coastal portion of the largest lowland in peninsular Italy, the Tavoliere of Poggia (Apulia). It is an empirical study, summarising the state of archaeological and geographical information, offering new archaeological and sedimentary evidence, and reassessing many interpretations concerning settlement, economic activity and the environment from the mid-Holocene and Early Neolithic times to the present. Formerly there were a number of lagoons in the coastlands, wide open to the Adriatic or almost wholly closed by the barrier island. Today much of this is cultivated land. Before the implications of such a physical change on past settlement and economy can be assessed, the ancient settlement patterns have to be discovered; the buried topography revealed; and the nature and phasing of the sedimentation that has all but obliterated the lagoons outlined. These are the main objectives in the present study. A perhaps wider range of source material than is orthodox in historical geography is investigated to these ends. The study of written and cartographic sources, from the Roman period onward, is intimately combined with the study of field evidence both archaeological and sedimentary. In this way, much of the evidence falls in to place as a better understanding of the former physical environment is achieved. For instance, cognizance of the openness of one lagoon leads to a more accurate interpretation of the route directions of the Roman itineraria and a better coincidence of archaeological and written evidences for lost settlements. But, bearing in mind that the thesis is essentially an interim statement on an active and longterm research programme, no conclusions are attempted although the study has implications reaching beyond the local area. Instead, the three important factors of change - climatic change, changes in sea level, and the anthropogenic factor - are introduced as the basis of the next stage in the research programme

Post-prehistoric changes in the Tavoliere coastlands

This thesis is concerned with related aspects of physical and settlement changes in the coastal portion of the largest lowland in peninsular Italy, the Tavoliere of Poggia (Apulia). It is an empirical study, summarising the state of archaeological and geographical information, offering new archaeological and sedimentary evidence, and reassessing many interpretations concerning settlement, economic activity and the environment from the mid-Holocene and Early Neolithic times to the present. Formerly there were a number of lagoons in the coastlands, wide open to the Adriatic or almost wholly closed by the barrier island. Today much of this is cultivated land. Before the implications of such a physical change on past settlement and economy can be assessed, the ancient settlement patterns have to be discovered; the buried topography revealed; and the nature and phasing of the sedimentation that has all but obliterated the lagoons outlined. These are the main objectives in the present study. A perhaps wider range of source material than is orthodox in historical geography is investigated to these ends. The study of written and cartographic sources, from the Roman period onward, is intimately combined with the study of field evidence both archaeological and sedimentary. In this way, much of the evidence falls in to place as a better understanding of the former physical environment is achieved. For instance, cognizance of the openness of one lagoon leads to a more accurate interpretation of the route directions of the Roman itineraria and a better coincidence of archaeological and written evidences for lost settlements. But, bearing in mind that the thesis is essentially an interim statement on an active and longterm research programme, no conclusions are attempted although the study has implications reaching beyond the local area. Instead, the three important factors of change - climatic change, changes in sea level, and the anthropogenic factor - are introduced as the basis of the next stage in the research programme.</p

Smoothed lines and empty spaces: the changing face of the exegetical map before 1600

Even in the exercise of historical study, it is sometimes important to pay attention to the nuances of grammar and syntax. Underlying the theme of this paper is the distinction between an adjective (general) and an adverb (generalised). The addition of those final two letters – ed – makes all the difference in defining two quite different types of maps, each serving different purposes, functioning in different ways, and presenting very different appearances. One type of map, the general map, ..

La géographie et l'histoire dans la région d'Argos (Grèce)

Delano-Smith Catherine, Waston Virginia. La géographie et l'histoire dans la région d'Argos (Grèce). In: Méditerranée, 5ᵉ année, n°4, 1964. pp. 329-340

A Life in Maps: Leo Bagrow, Imago Mundi, and the History of Cartography in the Early Twentieth Century

This essay provides a critical commentary on the life of Leo Bagrow (1881–1957), the founding editor of Imago Mundi, drawing on previously unused correspondence from the journal’s archive, recently catalogued by the British Library in London. Bagrow’s experiences in the three European cities in which he lived and worked (St Petersburg, Berlin and Stockholm) are examined afresh and new insights are provided about the complex intellectual and sometimes political objectives and motivations of Bagrow and his fellow map dealers, map collectors and map historians. Particular attention is paid to the productive but often strained relationships between Bagrow and the expanding global network of map historians with whom he collaborated while establishing and editing Imago Mundi between 1935 and his death. This network was divided into four distinct and to some extent rival constituencies (university academics, map librarians, map collectors and map dealers). The essay examines how Imago Mundi, under Bagrow’s often confrontational editorship, emerged as the central co-ordinating forum through which these constituencies communicated with each other and within which the foundations for the modern discipline of map history were established