30 research outputs found
Modelling terrestrial route networks to understand inter-polity interactions (southern Etruria, 950-500 BC)
Ancient regional routes were vital for interactions between settlements and
deeply influenced the development of past societies and their
"complexification". At the same time, since any transportation infrastructure
needs some level of inter-settlement cooperation to be established, they can
also be regarded as an epiphenomenon of social interactions at the regional
scale. Here, we propose to analyze ancient pathway networks to understand the
organization of cities and villages located in a certain territory, attempting
to clarify whether such organization existed and if so, how it functioned. To
address such a question, we chose a quantitative approach. Adopting network
science as a general framework, by means of formal models, we try to identify
how the collective effort that produced the terrestrial infrastructure was
directed and organized. We selected a paradigmatic case study: Iron Age
southern Etruria, a very well-studied context, with detailed archaeological
information about settlement patterns and an established tradition of studies
on terrestrial transportation routes, perfectly suitable for testing new
techniques. The results of the modelling suggest that a balanced coordinated
decision-making process was shaping the route network in Etruria, a scenario
which correlates well with the picture elaborated by different scholars using a
more traditional technique.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures. This version: extends and corrects text, adds 1
explanatory figure, develops conclusion