New Lecture
We are pleased to announce a lecture by J. Bintliff (University of Edinburgh) on April 9th, titled The ERC ‘Roman Empire of 2000 Cities’ Project. You can register in https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/963b490c-c2e0-41ec-bf02-d6d9244524f3@6ae07702-c5f7-4f38-9b87-acad62a75d93
Abstract:
“I think most of us have a good idea of what ancient Roman towns looked like: a central square or Forum with public offices and a market, well-built domestic dwellings in formal blocks or insulae, and an efficient orthogonal street plan, maybe city walls, a theatre and an amphitheatre. Civilisation in other words!
But if we look deeper, a number of central questions have long remained little researched, even unknown. For example, how many cities were there in the Roman Empire at any one time, and what exactly did they do, beyond having plentiful baths and circuses for leisure, a market for citizens to buy things, and a forum to enact council business and legal transactions. To answer these questions, a European project was proposed, very ambitiously to solve these central questions, for an urban network that underpinned the entire structure of the Roman world: for in fact we know that the central bureaucracy in Rome was very small, so that the everyday management of the Empire was primarily delegated to the provincial cities and their dependent territories, into which the entire empire was divided.
The European Research Council-funded, EMPIRE OF 2000 CITIES PROJECT was created by ancient historian Professor Luuk de Ligt in Leiden University and he kindly invited me to co-direct the project as the archaeological specialist. It employed five PhD students and three Postdoctoral researchers. There was also an additional PhD student, Peter de Graaf, researching the internal transformation of towns in Roman Italy in Republican to Early Imperial times. The core group of eight researchers was given each a major region of the Early Roman Empire and their task was to delve into all the historical, inscriptional, coinage and archaeological evidence for urban centres, thus creating with the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) a complete gazetteer with source information for each town, including size, public buildings, coinage if minting, official status and preceding history. One of the main aims was the most accurate map of cities for the period around 200 AD. A second aim was to analyze the distribution and function of these cities, by comparison with preceding Greek urbanism.”
Second Series of Lectures 2025
We are happy to announce the second series of lectures Mapping the Past: Exploring the Intersection of Mapping Technologies and Archaeology. In February 2025, we will welcome E. Farinetti (RomaTre University), followed by J. Bintliff (University of Edinburgh) in April and Q. Drillat (University of Ghent) in early June.
First Series of online lectures
Abstracts of Lectures 2023 – 2024
The Laboratory of Archaeological GIS AeGIS Athena is pleased to announce the upcoming series of online lectures titled “Mapping the Past: Exploring the Intersection of Mapping Technologies and Archaeology”. The series aims to explore the use of mapping technologies and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in archaeological research and practice, highlighting their potentials and contribution to our understanding of the past.
As archaeology continues to evolve as a discipline, the role of mapping technologies has become increasingly significant. The ability to digitally record and analyze spatial data has revolutionized the way researchers approach the study of ancient sites and landscapes, enabling the creation of detailed maps and visualizations that can aid in the interpretation of archaeological evidence. Through a range of expert speakers and case studies, this series will provide an in-depth exploration of the theoretical and practical applications of GIS and mapping technologies in archaeology. Topics will include the creation of digital maps and models, the use of satellite imagery and LiDAR data, and the integration of GIS with other technologies such as photogrammetry and remote sensing. In addition to showcasing the latest developments in GIS and mapping technologies, this series will also consider some of the challenges and limitations of their use in archaeological research. Speakers will discuss issues such as data quality, the potential for bias in interpretation, and the need for appropriate training and resources for effective implementation.
We invite all those with an interest in the intersection of mapping technologies and archaeology to join us for this exciting series of online lectures.
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ
Το Εργαστήριο Αρχαιολογικού GIS AeGIS Athena με χαρά ανακοινώνει την επερχόμενη σειρά διαδικτυακών διαλέξεων με τίτλο “Mapping the Past: Exploring the Intersection of Mapping Technologies and Archaeology”. Η σειρά στοχεύει να διερευνήσει τη χρήση τεχνολογιών χαρτογράφησης και Συστημάτων Γεωγραφικών Πληροφοριών (GIS) στην αρχαιολογική έρευνα και πρακτική, αναδεικνύοντας τις δυνατότητες και τη συμβολή τους στην κατανόηση του παρελθόντος.
Καθώς η αρχαιολογία συνεχίζει να εξελίσσεται ως κλάδος, ο ρόλος των τεχνολογιών GIS γίνεται ολοένα και πιο σημαντικός. Η ικανότητα ψηφιακής καταγραφής και ανάλυσης χωρικών δεδομένων έχει φέρει επανάσταση στον τρόπο με τον οποίο οι ερευνητές προσεγγίζουν τη μελέτη αρχαίων θέσεων και τοπίων, επιτρέποντας τη δημιουργία αναλυτικών χαρτών και απεικονίσεων που μπορούν να βοηθήσουν στην ερμηνεία των ανασκαφικών -και όχι μόνο- στοιχείων. Μέσω ειδικών ομιλητών και περιπτωσιολογικών μελετών, αυτή η σειρά διαλέξεων θα προσφέρει μια εις βάθος εξερεύνηση των θεωρητικών και πρακτικών εφαρμογών των τεχνολογιών GIS και χαρτογράφησης στην αρχαιολογία. Τα θέματα θα αφορούν μεταξύ άλλων, τη δημιουργία ψηφιακών χαρτών και μοντέλων, τη χρήση δορυφορικών εικόνων και δεδομένων LiDAR και την ενοποίηση του GIS με άλλες τεχνολογίες όπως η φωτογραμμετρία και η τηλεπισκόπηση. Εκτός από την παρουσίαση των τελευταίων εξελίξεων στις εφαρμογές τεχνολογίων GIS, αυτή η σειρά θα εξετάσει και ορισμένες από τις προκλήσεις και τους περιορισμούς της χρήσης τους στην αρχαιολογική έρευνα. Στόχος είναι οι ομιλητές να συζητήσουν θέματα όπως η ποιότητα των δεδομένων, η πιθανότητα μεροληψίας στην ερμηνεία και η ανάγκη για κατάλληλη εκπαίδευση και πόρους για αποτελεσματική εφαρμογή.
Καλούμε όλους όσους ενδιαφέρονται για τη διασταύρωση των τεχνολογιών GIS και της αρχαιολογίας να συμμετάσχουν σε αυτήν τη συναρπαστική σειρά διαδικτυακών διαλέξεων.