Networks, Agent-Based Models and the Antonine Itineraries

Implications for Roman Archaeology

Authors

  • Shawn Graham University of Manitoba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.2006.19.1.45

Keywords:

Roman archaeology, Antonine itineraries, social network analysis, agency, space

Abstract

This paper presents a way of looking at Roman space from a Roman perspective, and suggests ways in which this point of view might open up new approaches in Roman archaeology. It turns on one conception of Roman space in particular, preserved for us in the Antonine Itineraries. Working from a position that considers the context of the itineraries as movement-through-space, this paper presents an investigation using social network analysis and agent-based simulation to re-animate the itineraries. The itineraries for Iberia, Gaul, Italy, and Britain are considered. The results of the social network analysis suggest structural differences in the way that the itineraries presented space to the reader/traveler. The results of the simulation of information diffusion through these regions following the routes in the itineraries suggest ways that this conception of space affected the cultural and material development of these regions. Suggestions for extending the basic model for more complicated archaeological analyses are presented.

Author Biography

  • Shawn Graham, University of Manitoba
    Department of Classics University of Manitoba 360 University College Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2M8 Canada

Published

2007-03-15

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Graham, S. (2007). Networks, Agent-Based Models and the Antonine Itineraries: Implications for Roman Archaeology. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 19(1), 45-64. https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.2006.19.1.45