Testing settlement models in the early Roman colonial landscapes of Venusia (291 B.C.), Cosa (273 B.C.) and Aesernia (263 B.C.)

This paper examines settlement density and settlement patterns in the Roman colonial territories of Venusia, Cosa and Aesernia, located in three different landscapes of central southern Italy (modern Basilicata, Tuscany and Molise). Using a series of GIS tools, we conducted a comparative analysis of the density and spatial distribution of sites dating to the Hellenistic period (ca. 350–50 b.c.). We used the legacy settlement data collected by previous large-scale, intensive, site-oriented field surveys to test the validity of two competing rural settlement models of early Roman colonization: the conventional model of neatly organized settlements regularly dispersed across the landscape and the recently proposed theory that colonists adopted a polynuclear settlement strategy. After calculating the extent to which the archaeological datasets conform to the regular or polynuclear model, we conclude that only a very small portion of the colonized areas actually meets traditional expectations regarding the organization of early colonial settlements. Our analyses show that the legacy survey data is more consistent with the polynuclear settlement theory, but the data also reveals some completely unexpected patterns, suggesting that early Roman colonial landscapes were more diverse than previously thought.     

Papier oder Online?

Am Beispiel einer touristischen Image- bzw. Marktuntersuchung besch?ftigt sich der vorliegende Aufsatz mit den M?glichkeiten zur internet-basierten Datenerhebung im Rahmen empirischer Forschungsprojekte. Die Ergebnisse einer auf einer Zufallsauswahl basierenden schriftlichen Befragung mit Postversand und einer Befragung im Internet werden hierzu miteinander verglichen und ihre Eignung für die gew?hlte Zielsetzung bewertet. Die Darstellung erfolgt anhand des konkreten Fallbeispiels des Projektes „Stuttgart Regio: Touristische Infrastruktur- und Marketing-Analyse.”     

An interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of past settlement and farming: two cases from SE Norway

An interdisciplinary approach involving analysis of plant macrofossils, pollen and soil micro morphology in combination with large-scale stripping of top soil, was applied in order to get a comprehensive understanding of pre-historic settlement, farming economy and land-use in Østfold, SE Norway. Investigations of 25 sites lead to two distinctive results: 1) A time-space perspective on usages of plants, and 2) Identification of agrarian activities in a relict field. Studies of these topics have hitherto been limited for this region. The results add fresh and essential knowledge to pre-historic times in Østfold and make a significant contribution to the understanding to these topics in neighbouring regions.     

You are what you eat: New approaches to economic prehistory

E. S. Higgs, ed. Papers in Economic Prehistory. Studies by Members and Associates of the British Academy Major Research Project in the Early History of Agriculture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973. x + 219 pp. Illustrations, figures, tables, bibliography and index. $15.50.