Getting around in the past: Historical road modelling

Abstract

A key to understand historical geographies are historical road networks. GIS (Geographical Information Systems) can provide the tools to model roads of which the exact course is unknown due to lack of archaeological remains. Wayfinding algorithms, like least cost paths, can calculate routes over a landscape, based on assigned cost factors. But which factors are important for the routing of historical roads, besides the relief and rivers? Not just physical factors play an important role, but social, cultural, political and military factors as well. To model historical roads, these factors have to be identified and formalized. Formalization leads to a theoretical model, which can then be implemented in a GIS. Social geographic approaches, like systems theory, will act as framework for the formalization. Furthermore, two case studies will be presented. The first one is a medieval Byzantine road in the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, which is mentioned in documents from the 13th and 14th Century. The second case study deals with a historical Buddhist pilgrimage route from the 11th Century in the Western Himalayas. Understanding of historical geography is necessary to create models of historical roads, but once created, they can help to further understand spatial relations in the historical landscape.