A Different Vision of Ancient Settlement Dynamics: Creation and Application of a Model of Evolution of Roman Settlement of the Plateau Lorrain (France)

• Autores: Antonin Nüsslein
• Localización: Finding the Limits of the Limes: Modelling Demography, Economy and Transport on the Edge of the Roman Empire / coord. por Philip Verhagen, Jamie Joyce, Mark R Groenhuijzen, 2019, ISBN 978-3-030-04576-0, págs. 77-92
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Research concerning settlement dynamics is mainly based on data from archaeological field survey. This method of investigation provides researchers with a lot of information that can help to identify trends and to model the evolution of settlement structure at different scales. Nonetheless, field survey data is sometimes incomplete and only shows a snapshot of the settlements. This static information lacks a certain number of parameters (evolution of architectural, economic, social features, etc.) which are essential to perceive the inherent evolution of the settlements and therefore to visualize their own evolution within the dynamics of settlement trajectory networks. On the other hand, data from archaeological excavations enable us to detect those phenomena. This paper aims to propose a methodological approach to try to resolve this lack of parameters: the creation of an evolutionary model of the settlements from the information collected during excavations. Applied to the sites discovered by field survey, and combined with other analytical tools, the model allows for a better understanding of the diversification phenomena and the processes of spatial development of the settlement pattern. This method, which offers solutions to enhance the static information provided by survey data, was designed for the study of Roman settlement of the Plateau Lorrain (France), but it can be applied to other periods and to other regions as well.