Roman and early-medieval long-distance transport routes as an indication for the potential of large-scale multi-proxy approaches

Rowin VAN LANEN | Bert  GROENEWOUDT
(The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Amersfoort, The Netherlands)

Keywords: Long-distance transport, Roman period, Early Middle Ages, multiple proxies, daily-life goods

Abstract:
The transition from the Roman period to the Early Middle Ages in many parts of northwestern Europe coincided with a clear economic decline and strongly decreasing population numbers. In many regions, socio-economic conditions changed considerably (e.g. the collapse of markets, surplus-distribution networks) and existing trade routes collapsed. To what extent long-distance transport routes changed from Roman to early-medieval periods is generally unknown. Only few historical sources are available for this transition period, and the archaeological record is complex. Moreover, traditional research on the long-distance exchanges of goods mainly has been focused on the spatial analyses of archaeologically recognisable goods such as jewellery and religious artefacts. Although greatly improving our understanding of long-distance trade, these endeavours in themselves probably do not represent the full spectrum of common exchange networks and transport routes.
In this contribution we present a newly-developed high-resolution reconstruction of first-millennium long-distance transport routes in the Netherlands. By integrating multiple large-scale heritage datasets, for the first time we were able to develop detailed spatiotemporal frameworks regarding long-distance transport based on quantitative data. Using a transdisciplinary approach we modelled changes in the long-distance transport of oak (a common good) for each individual Roman and early-medieval period. By combing the provenance of exogenous timbers with data on modelled first-millennium route networks in GIS we were able to reconstruct: (1) Roman and early-medieval trade networks in structural timbers, (2) changes in long-distance transport, and (3) model core sections (i.e. frequent-travel zones) within the modelled route networks. To validate these reconstructed patterns, the findings were compared with import patterns of other daily-life commodities: pottery and stone household goods. The presented results underline the importance and potential of large-scale transdisciplinary research approaches in archaeological studies, but equally demonstrate the necessity of data validation through comparisons.

Relevance conference / Relevance session:
This contribution shows the potential of data integration for the reconstruction of past transport networks, which were crucial for past urban development.

Innovation:
By applying the presented approach, for the first time a quantitative approach towards reconstructing the spatial and chronological boundary conditions of transport networks was possible.

References:

  1. Jansma, E., Haneca, K., Kosian, M.C. (2014) A dendrochronological reassessment of three Roman boats from Utrecht (the Netherlands). Journal of Archaeological Science 50, pp. 484-496
  2. Orengo, H.A., Livarda, A. (2015) The seeds of commerce: A network analysis-based approach to the Romano- British transport system, Journal of Archaeological Science, 66, pp. 21 – 35