Integrating detection and modelling of ancient pathways
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-02-24

Pathway detection and modelling operate from different perspectives that seem to have little in common apart from using the same base data. Material traces of pathways can be detected from LiDAR and fieldwork, but they are usually fragmented and are difficult to date, interpret and connect to other elements in the landscape. Path modelling on the other hand is usually hindered by a severe lack of material evidence to test models of ancient movement, and therefore often remains speculative.
In order to better understand past movement and the development of ancient pathways, it is necessary to consider all the relevant spatial and historical dimensions of movement, the connectivity of the resulting networks, and the material traces left behind. We suggest that such an analysis should start by considering the full historical trajectory of pathways, from their construction and associated practices up to their development during their use and after their abandonment. Such a spatio-temporal, multi-scalar perspective on ancient pathways is crucial to enhance our ability to detect and interpret structures, and to link the detected elements to their modelled counterparts.
In this paper, we will present a state of the art and develop some ideas to build a framework for such an approach.

Philip Verhagen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) & Laure Nuninger (Chrono-Environnement UMR 6249, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté)