Campagna di Roma olim Latium: A historical landscape archaeology of Tyrrhenian southern Lazio from late Antiquity to incastellamento

Abstract

This thesis aims at a spatial analysis of human activity within the landscape of Tyrrhenian southern Lazio between the late Roman and high medieval period (3rd to 14th century AD), using a multidisciplinary dataset. The research is a review study, based on data from primary and secondary sources that are (re)analysed in a regional geographic context. With these data as a background, the landscape is approached from two angles: ● The contemporary perspective. Using contemporary archaeological and historical data (3rd to 14th century), a diachronic mapping is made of human activity within the landscape. This mapping is based on finding contemporary sites of human activity and analysing these sites in a spatial context, in a GIS. ● The retrospective perspective. Using historical cartography, data from the historical topographical literature, ethnographic studies and toponymic research, a retrospective analysis is made of the medieval to sub-recent landscape (12th to 20th century), in order to increase our understanding of the longue duree functioning of the landscape. Within the main objective the study aims at two things: 1. To diachronically map activity within the landscape, such as settlement, production, trade, ownership, animosities, religion and infrastructure, and the actors involved. 2. To test the used method. It is tried to establish to what extent a multidisciplinary review study can provide new ideas about the chronology of the processes that took place, and on the social reality behind these processes. The thesis concludes with a set of recommendations, intended to facilitate future study.