Articles by Stephen Kay

This paper discusses the results of an inductive predictive modelling experiment on Roman settlement data from the middle Tiber valley, Italy. The study forms part of the British School at Rome’s Tiber Valley Project, which since its inception in 1997 has been assessing the changing landscapes of the Tiber Valley from protohistory through to the medieval period. The aim of this present study is to broaden understanding of settlement patterns via predictive modelling, and in particular to evaluate unevenness in field survey coverage, survey bias and past settlement location preferences. The predictive modelling method chosen was an application of the statistical Weights of Evidence extension for ESRI ArcView. The results highlight associations between Roman settlement and environmental themes that provide moderate predictive potential and suggest that further experimentation might prove valuable.

Information Technology is at the heart of the Tiber Valley Project, from the integration, storage and analysis of data, through project management to the visualization and dissemination of results. Here, some of the ongoing applications of this technology, both implicit and explicit, have been presented. Detailed results will be published as the project continues, with a synthetic volume currently in preparation (PATTERSON et al. in preparation).

Since its establishment in 1987, the Cecina Valley Survey Project, directed by Nicola Terrenato of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has undertaken the systematic investigation of the landscape surrounding the Etruscan, and then later Roman, city of Volaterrae in Northern Etruria, modern Tuscany. Whilst the main aim of the study is to investigate the distributions of settlements in the valley between 600 BC and AD 600, the survey has recorded the presence of artefacts of all periods. Together with a diverse approach to geophysical survey, the project has generated a wealth of data that has been documented within a spatial database, thus permitting interpretation to include both remotely sensed data and field surface collection. Through the powerful application of this GIS technology combined with a detailed site documentation, a useful methodology was developed that could be reapplied in the field. The combination of field walking and a multiple site approach to geophysical survey, enhanced by the application of mobile computing technology, allowed an immediate initial interpretation of the site to be made. This approach to field survey, combining the techniques of GIS, geophysics and traditional field walking, allowed a rapid detailed appraisal of the site, particularly through a target specific form of remote sensing. Presented here are some results from two seasons of geophysical surveying of rural settlements in the Cecina Valley and a discussion of the development of this integrated field survey approach. Appraisal is also made of the most suitable geophysical methods to be applied to individuate Hellenistic and early Roman rural settlements and the different forms of computer filter analysis that can be applied to extract clearer results.

The application of Viewshed analysis techniques to the study of archaeological landscapes, through the medium of a GIS, is a field of research that has a long pedigree. However, it is noticable that studies have focused particularly on the prehistoric and Roman periods, with little application within the area of medieval studies. This paper aims to explore the potentials that different forms of spatial analysis offer, with particular emphasis on visibility in relation to medieval landscape research. A further dimension that is explored within this framework is the use of spatial analysis techniques as a tool for aiding the management of cultural heritage. The study forms part of an on-going research program on the Isle of Wight, being conducted by the Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, with the aim of understanding the medieval settlement and agriculture on the island. Investigations have been conducted on a range of sites, varying from Deserted Medieval Villages to the Cistercian Abbey of Quarr. The initial results of this research indicated a strong pattern of movement of people to and from the island, a probable result of the strategic military importance the island had during the Middle Ages. Therefore, in collaboration with the Isle of Wight County Council Archaeological Unit, an investigation was launched into the effectiveness of the medieval beacon signalling system on the island, in order to appraise its success, the choice of positioning and the identification of sites. The results collected through the application of Cumulative Viewshed Analysis were then tested for their statistical significance in order to fullfill the CRM aspect of this research.