Cavallo, C.

Dütting, M.K.

Kooistra, L.I.

van Dinter, M.

van Rijn, P.

English

In this part two of a diptych of articles, we modelled and quantified the carrying capacity ofthe landscape and the demand and supply of the Roman army in the western Lower Rhinedelta with wood and food in the period A.D. 40 - 140. The absolute volumes of the wood andfood were calculated (in m³ and kCal) and converted into surfaces needed (in km²). In addition,the acreage of available land in the area was quantified (in km²). A comparison of thesevarious values reveals that the carrying capacity of the landscape was larger than hithertoassumed. Initially, the landscape was not limiting for the total demand. However, the pressureon the landscape increased due to a growing population, and because of this the upper limitson the possibilities of production set by the landscape may have been reached in the secondcentury A.D. Furthermore, our calculations show that wood and food, especially cereals,could be procured from agrarian settlements in the immediate surroundings. Therefore, thelocal population was probably much more involved in the provisioning of the Roman army inthe Lower Rhine delta. It seems likely that the Roman army combined local provisioning withextra-regional supply and long-distance transport

International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion online publications

Could the local population of the Lower Rhine delta supply the Roman army? Part 2: Modelling the carrying capacity using archaeological, palaeo-ecological and geomorphological data

https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1520826/155020_Could_the_local_population_of_the_Lower_Rhine_pt._2.pdf

Could the local population of the Lower Rhine delta supply the Roman army? Part 2: Modelling the carrying capacity using archaeological, palaeo-ecological and geomorphological data

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International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion online publications