The purpose of this thesis was to find out how the physical and spatial properties of a city can influence the urban experience. Two city blocks from Rome´s harbour town, Ostia, (I, xiv/xv) were...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis was to find out how the physical and spatial properties of a city can influence the urban experience. Two city blocks from Rome´s harbour town, Ostia, (I, xiv/xv) were used as case studies. The urban experience is often studied as a plural and dynamic experience. This thesis applied two types of formal analysis, fractal and visibility graph analysis, to argue and to demonstrate that the urban experience is largely linked to the geometry of the physical and spatial characteristics of the city. Fractal analysis views cities as structures that resemble a mathematical fractal. Fractals are self-similar, scale invariant objects. Fractal geometry is seen in this thesis as having an effect on the human mind, and therefore on the way a city is experienced. Visibility graph analysis uses the city’s two or three-dimensional plan to analyse its visual integration. Spaces with the highest intervisibility are those spaces which attract most movement, and are therefore the places were social activities occur. Hence these are the places that play the most important role in the urban experience. A quantitative fractal analysis applied to the city block’s (I, xiv/xv) open spaces revealed that their form has fractal qualities, resulting in a calculated fractal dimension of 1.4551. This value is quite significant since it comes close to the mid-range fractal dimension which has been calculated for the typical savannah landscape. The latter is considered to be a universally preferred landscape where human beings feel at ease. Other fractal properties of Ostia that are less easily quantifiable, these concern the different scales that reside in the city’s urban form. The small scales of the city prevents pedestrians from feeling excluded or alienated from the larger scaled elements of the city. Owing to the organic bottom-up development of certain parts of Ostia, a positive dynamic between the large and the small scales has been achieved. The visibility graph analysis pinpoints two spaces in the studied area: the square in front of the Temple of Hercules (I, xv, 5) and the open space east of the Baths of Buticosus (I, xiv, 8). The theory of the Urban Information Field was applied to these spaces (Saligaros 2005). It is argued that the surfaces that surround these spaces offer an engaging environment. The concavity of the spaces allows humans to feel protected, but not trapped. The two spaces have been interpreted as so-called ‘Thirdspace’ (Soja 1996), in which all other urban spaces come together and where urban life is lived. The analyses have shown that the physical and spatial elements in a city have an impact on the way the city is experienced. By using fractal and visibility graph analyses to examine these elements, this thesis was able to demonstrate that the study of the (past) urban experience can move beyond descriptive and speculative studies, towards a more testable and less subjective urban experience.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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"The 'lively' streets of Olynthos in the 5th century BCE" is a spatial study of the North Hill of Olynthos in Northern Greece. The aim of the study was to reveal ancient movement flows and areas of...Show more"The 'lively' streets of Olynthos in the 5th century BCE" is a spatial study of the North Hill of Olynthos in Northern Greece. The aim of the study was to reveal ancient movement flows and areas of activity along the streets, while investigating the connection between private and public space. In order to achieve this goal, this study applied methods from space syntax at different scales, ranging from the entire street network of the city’s North Hill to smaller street segments and individual houses. Given the lack of spatial studies focused on ancient Greek urban contexts, the study presented here used methodological advancements previously applied to the Roman cities Pompeii and Ostia. The axial analysis of Olynthos at a macro-scale has revealed valuable information about movement through the city, and the visibility graph analysis and isovist map have suggested a larger underlying principle of ‘equality’ at work in the area’s construction. At the same time, an examination of the positioning of doorways at a micro-scale has provided insights into social control, 'privacy', and the distribution of shops within the settlement. As the material remains of Olynthos were significantly affected by the settlement’s destruction by Philip II in 348 BCE, this spatial study adds complementary information to the study of the material record.Show less
A thesis that looks into the position, the function and the look of private and public nymphaea throughout the ancient Roman city of Ostia. The research presented in this this thesis is primarily...Show moreA thesis that looks into the position, the function and the look of private and public nymphaea throughout the ancient Roman city of Ostia. The research presented in this this thesis is primarily based on a new paradigm in the social sciences called ‘mobilities’ and the method of space syntax.Show less
The ancient Roman city of Ostia has captured the imagination of visitors and the interest of scholars for centuries. However, despite numerous past and current research projects many aspects of the...Show moreThe ancient Roman city of Ostia has captured the imagination of visitors and the interest of scholars for centuries. However, despite numerous past and current research projects many aspects of the site have remained unexplored. One of these areas concerns the role of mosaic floors found in Ostia’s commercial spaces. Although most have been described and some have been ascribed an advertising function in previous publications, no collective study into their role has been done before. This thesis focussed on exploring the role of mosaic floors in the commercial spaces of Ostia built and used in the first, second and third centuries AD. Thereby looking to identify any general trends which might explain the individual or collective decision taken to use mosaic floors in certain commercial spaces and not in others. But also aiming to bring to light which specific functions the mosaics fulfilled. Data has been collected for this research by performing a survey in Ostia as well as studying literature on Ostian mosaics, especially Becatti’s publication from 1961. Clarke’s ideas on non-elite Roman art (Clarke 2003) and the influence of the composition of black-and-white mosaics on the viewer (Clarke 1979) have been very important to interpret the data. This thesis argues that there are several reasons why mosaics would have been preferred over non-mosaics in several of Ostia’s commercial spaces. All mosaics were probably preferred over cheaper floor types as they gave the spaces a more luxurious look, which would attract (better paying) customers. Furthermore, the alternating periods of economic decline and improvement seen in the city could also have been of influence. In addition, a variety of more specific functions has been detected: advertisement, status display, expression of identity and ownership, pleasing the gods and providing a focal point for auctions. The knowledge gained through this study has given insight in the ways owners of commercial spaces in the Roman period used decorations to influence (potential) customers. But also how owners used these art forms to express personal ideas and values. Which is an interesting addition to our understanding of commerce in the Roman world.Show less
This thesis presents a study of the Neolithic assemblage of tools and implements from the megalithic temple complex of Tarxien, Malta. This complex was built and used by a Neolithic society between...Show moreThis thesis presents a study of the Neolithic assemblage of tools and implements from the megalithic temple complex of Tarxien, Malta. This complex was built and used by a Neolithic society between 3600-2400 BC. The Maltese archipelago boasts over 30 similar megalithic complexes, spread across the islands. For over a century, these megalith complexes have been intensively studied, but while there is a general consensus that these so-called temples held ritual or religious functions, many contradicting hypotheses about the origin of the complexes and their societal significance have been formulated by various scholars. These theories have been discussed to create a referential framework for this thesis and to emphasise how little attention has been paid to Neolithic tools and implements in earlier studies. In order to make a contribution to this debate, this study concentrated on this neglected group of artefacts: the Neolithic tools and implements from Tarxien. By means of a systematic analysis of these tools and implements this thesis was able to identify a number of activity patterns that might have played a role inside Tarxien. Based on the results achieved in the process of this thesis, it can be claimed that the temples did not only fulfill ritual and/or religious purposes, but a number of other activities can be associated with the Temple complex. Various activities, such as preparing food and the production of materials and other goods have been present at the site and it seems very likely that the complex was inhabited by a (small) group of people. Furthermore, based on the archaeological evidence examined by this study, it seems possible that the complex held a central function concerning the storage and (re)distribution of food (and/or other goods).Show less
The Late Antique architectural remains on the acropolis of Koroneia’s city hill have not yet received the research attention they need in the current Ancient Cities of Boeotia project. This thesis...Show moreThe Late Antique architectural remains on the acropolis of Koroneia’s city hill have not yet received the research attention they need in the current Ancient Cities of Boeotia project. This thesis will delve deeper into the collapsed vaulted ceiling remains that have been found on the acropolis and provides a thorough description, coordinate measurements and plans, and begins the difficult task op interpreting these remains. It is attempted to reconstruct what the building was and draw parallels to other similar buildings. Research into the remains was conducted in the 2009 field season by architectural specialist Dr Inge Uytterhoeven, and the August 2012 field season saw the continuance of this research by students. For a field school on ground-based digital recording techniques, students were tasked with recording the remains of the large structure on the acropolis which had earlier been dubbed the ‘Bishop’s Palace’ by researchers. Over 200 Total Station measurements were taken, detailed descriptions and sketches were made, and over the course of two mornings the entire remains were carefully documented. Also, suggestions for the improvement of fieldwork and analysis methods and suggestions for further research are made in this thesis. In this thesis, special attention is paid to the recording and analyzing techniques used, and these are described in detail. Also, an attempt has been made to interpret the remains and compare them to other, perhaps similar, complexes. In close consultation with Dr Inge Uytterhoeven, the remains have been roughly dated to the 5th or 6th century AD, the Late Antique period on the Greek mainland. A look at both the remains and the period suggests that the most likely interpretation is an elite villa or house with a public character.Show less
