Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Pau de Soto
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Territory covering all the Roman Empire Mediterranean, from Northern Western Europe to Near and Middle East. Created NETWORK S Maintained COHESION 2
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce All levels of Roman life Roman Empire Houses Client Created System NETWORK S Cities Maintained Politic System COHESION 3
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce All levels of Roman life Roman Empire Empire - Communication Systems Houses Client complex transport System infrastructures NETWORK S Cities put together a lot of Politic communities System Political, economical & social movement 4
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce The Commerce of the Roman Empire The Project Objectives: 1) An approach to the Roman Transport Network Morphology • Which infrastructures did they build? • How the Romans transformed their territories? • Does the connectivity of their cities reflect their political, social or economical interests? 2) Reconstruction of the Roman Transportation Systems • Can we reply the Roman Transport Movements? • Can we know the costs and times needed to move Roman goods? 5
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce The Project Evolution: 1. NE of Iberian P. 3 2. Hispania 3. Britannia 4. Italy To study all these networks it is mandatory to know how were the Roman Transport 2 System. 1 4
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce The Roman Transport System Divided into: • Sea Communications • Inland Waterways • Land Transport
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Sea Transport • Most widespread Maximum support to the economy of Rome • The fastest Two wide spaces: system • Highest • Mare Nostrum capacities • Atlanticum Mare (Mare Externum/ • The Cheapest • Meteorology Oceanus) • Closed on winter • Dangers Rome understood the (Pirates) importance of the maritime navigation, specially in medium - long travels.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce River Transport Best way to penetrate in inland territories Transport system with big duality: Downstream • Fast way (downstream) Upstream • Good capacities • Cheap Lots of Roman cities with river connections: • Needs energy • Rome (upstreams) • Londinium • Slow (upstreams) • Caesaraugusta • Depends on Geography • Hispalis Limitations: • Geography • Climatology (specially on the Mediterranean) • Need of building infrastructures (leeves)
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Land Transport Only system that connect everyplace of the Empire Rome built more than 300.000 kms of land routes. • Higher Security • These huge road network is used to define Rome as a • Access to all truly empire. Empire • The land transports was the only way to connect all the • Lower capacity cities and territories of the Roman Empire. • Slower • Those roads were used for military, politic, economical • More Expensive and propaganda functions.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce The Roman Transport System The motivations for the construction of the transport network changed over the time. • Support of armies and colonies. Over Time • Economic and Political needs. • Social and Religious motivations. Networks should cover all needs
Quantifying the Roman Transport System Digital Recording We know the infrastructures and the transportation systems… How to study the territorial configuration? How to analyse the commerce? How explain the movement of Roman goods? How get close to the mobility of the Romans? Digitalizing GIS
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Network Analysis Transform the reality in nodes (points) and edges (lines) Origin: Graphs Theory by L. Eulen (1736) Koningsberg Social Network Analysis Transform cities into nodes (points) and routes into edges (lines) - Accessibility Calculations VALUES - Cost & Time Transport
Quantifying the Roman Transport System Digitalizing Methodology: Use all available data to obtain the most accurate reconstruction of the Roman Roads, navigable rivers and sea connections: Geographic Reality: − Mountains − River steps Archaeological data: – Mansiones . – Milestones . – Stretches of roads . – Villae and rural settlements. – Necropoli, Roman cemeteries – Bridges , … Historical & Ethnographical Data: − Medieval - XIXth Cent.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Result: High detailed transport network.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Acessibility Main concept: Connectivity Political, economic and social significance Cities with higher connectivity = More important settlements
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Calculating the Accessibility More intuitive, simple Accessibility = Centrality: Degree Centrality: More connections = More important Betweenness Centrality: Closeness Centrality:
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce 1 sea Calculating the Accessibility 3,4 river (downstream) 6,8 river (upstream) 43,4 land (wagon) Origin in Social Network Analysis 50,7 land (donkey) # edge = # value Value of edges depending on the type of transport Sea Transport 1 River Transport 2 New method of calculation Land (Main Road) 3 Land (Secondary R.) 4 1. Classic (Sociology) 2. According to the means of transport
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Calculating the Accessibility
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Accessibility The accessibility results shows us the network configuration in each territory in a specific historical moment. Roman Times (s. II AD) Different periods Higher values (red/ Important cities yellow) show territories and territories well connected XVIth Century
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Accessibility - Hispania Transport infrastructures were developed following the geography, natural resources (mines) and military settlements. Rome was interested in fully exploit the coast areas and the closer locations in the river valleys.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Accessibility - Italy Rome was perfectly connected with the rest of the Empire Rome built her land routes thinking in a political and military connections
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Accessibility - Britannia London was the centre of the transport network. Optimize the metropolis-colony connections. Armies in Britannia
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Cost & Time HOW? Implement of constant values per kilometre ✓ the shortest. Best Route ✓ the most economical. ✓ the faster.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Introducing cost & time values Methodology to import values. Once we know the length of each trip we can use constant values. Time of travel: The length of the trip − The speed of vehicles − T (time) = L (length) / S v (speed value) Cost of travel: The length of the trip − The Costs of transports: − The characteristics of vehicles − The load capacities − Roman prices − C (cost) = L (length) * C v (cost value) Mule driver, camel driver with maintenance......................25 modii Water carrier working a full day with maintenance............25 modii
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Values Based on classical sources and archaeology: 1 sea 3,4 river (downstream) 6,8 river (upstream) 43,4 land (wagon) 50,7 land (donkey)
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Introducing the Values The values of speeds and costs are entered into the GIS as constant values for each kilometre in route. Finally we can calculate the transport costs & times from one point to the rest of the network new tables 1 Each section has its own cost & time
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Time Closer view to the mobility of the transport systems. The travels were counted in days and not in numbers of miles travelled. Ancient sources = temporal patterns / not distances “Go, my little book, go; accompany my Flaccus across the wide, but propitious, waters of the deep, and with unobstructed course, and favouring winds, reach the towers of Hispanian Tarragona. Thence a chariot will take you, and, carried swiftly along, you will see the lofty Bilbilis, and your dear Salo at the fifth stage…” Knowing the time needed to travel is a important information to understand the distribution of certain products, especially those of low durability.
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Time
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Time
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Costs It is the analysis of the movement of goods from its transportation cost. The goods were moved until their price was prohibitive for commercialization Objective: Not replicate one single travel cost Observe cost patterns and influential areas of distribution
Network Analysis to understand the Roman Commerce Costs Firsts analysis in NE - Hispanic
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