Ancient Landscapes, Information Systems and Computers

This page has links to

• Information provided as a service for others
• Information on research collaboration
• Descriptions of research conducted here
• A research proposal concerning the territory of Köln
• Publications available on the Web - Latest Addition Roman Military Landscape (2006)
• Poster displayed at the 2011 Aerial Archaeology Research Group conference
• John Peterson's 1993 PHD thesis

A virtual tour of Caistor Roman Town. The site is in the care of the Norfolk Archaeological Trust. This is a Web version of the interpretation panels prepared by Sue White of the Landscape Archaeology Section, Norfolk Museums Service.

We have recently taken part in COST Action A27 (an international collaborative research programme on ancient agrarian and mining landscapes).

Since 1987 John Peterson has carried out research in the School of Computing Sciences at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK into information systems used in the ancient world for the control of land.

Several aspects of Roman cadastres interest me.

• They are among the most visually striking, historically significant, culturally influential and technically complex artifacts that have been left to us by antiquity.
• As information systems based upon accurately recorded data they show a level of sophistication which has been surpassed only very recently.
• They seem to have been harmoniously integrated into ancient mathematical thought, and they may have influenced its development.
• Because of their well-defined structures they readily provide a test bed for computational tools.

Roman Cadastres in Britain

In my view, evidence of such systems can be seen in Britain.

Landscape traces and other evidence currently suggest that there could have been five areas of centuriation:

• Lincolnshire and Leicestershire (Lindum). The first system investigated in this area appears to originate at Lincoln and cover most of the territory of the Corieltauui
• South Norfolk (Venta). There seems to be just one system here with local adaptations during the Roman period. It is most likely to be the cadastre of Venta Icenorum.
• Gloucestershire and South Wales (Gleuum). This seems to have been a very large system which was extended (mainly as a survey) to provide support to Sextus Julius Frontinus in his conquest of South Wales.
• Eastern. An early survey covering Essex and the area north of London.
• Kent. A system which has left some of its clearest traces in Romney Marsh.

(e-mail j.peterson@uea.ac.uk)