Tracking the Samnites: Landscape and Communications Routes in the Sangro Valley, Italy

Bell, Tyler; Wilson, Andrew; Wickham, Andrew

doi:10.2307/4126242

Cited by 69Archaeological Research and ProtectionAncient Mediterranean Archaeology and HistoryAncient and Medieval Archaeology Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 9 of the 9 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Tracking the Samnites: Landscape and Communications Routes in the Sangro Valley, Italy

Bell, Tyler, Wilson, Andrew, Wickham, Andrew·2002·American Journal of Archaeology

DOI 10.2307/4126242

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Abstract

This paper is based on field survey work carried out in the Sangro Valley, Abruzzo, Italy, between 1994 and 1998. While the preliminary results of the survey are published elsewhere (Lloyd et al. 1997), this article presents the results of a computer-based GIS methodology for reconstructing routes of communication between ancient sites in a landscape, designed to complement traditional survey methodologies and explore the so-called off-site archaeology that exists between areas of intense antique occupation within the landscape. In doing so this research not only demonstrates the theoretical value of such an approach, but also shows how its practical application has helped the project understand in greater detail the ancient landscape of the Sangro river valley. The principal results of this analysis applied to settlement patterns in the middle Sangro Valley were to show that the fortified hilltop center of Monte Pallano was closely integrated into the communications network of the surrounding settlements, that one of the largest Samnite and Roman settlements discovered by the survey lay on a junction of several well-frequented routes, and that a large area of off-site material probably derives from Iron Age cemeteries overlooking a heavily used route around the southern flank of Monte Pallano.

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Slope is a significant factor (albeit not the only influential one) affecting movement across the terrain.
“slope is indeed a significant factor (albeit not the only influential one) affecting the movement across the terrain [17,19,39,41].”
From movecost: an R package for calculating accumulated slope-dependent anisotropic cost-surfaces and least-cost paths (2019) · cites this paper as [17]
The use of topography-based algorithms is due to its significant influence on transit and its relative stability, at least at a general scale and in the long term.
“El uso de algoritmos basados en la topografía se debe tanto a su significativa influencia en el tránsito como a su relativa estabilidad, al menos a escala general y a largo plazo (Bell et al. 2002).”
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Bibliography
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Preface
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Index
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Epigraphy
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The Coins
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Authors: Bell, T., Wilson, A., & Wickham, A.
Venue: American Journal of Archaeology
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2002-04-01
Volume: 106
Issue: 2
Pages: 169-186
ISSN: 0002-9114 (ISSN-L)
1939-828X
DOI: 10.2307/4126242
OpenAlex: W2329034776
Cited by: 69
References: 9
Citations by year: 2025: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
FWCI: 3.74
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: American Journal of Archaeology (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Archeology › Archaeological Research and Protection
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies
Keywords: Samnites, ancient landscape reconstruction, Iron Age cemetery, Roman settlement, settlement patterns

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Tracking the Samnites: Landscape and Communications Routes in the Sangro Valley, Italy

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