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
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
Recent archaeological studies reflect a growing interest in neighbourhoods and neighbourhood studies, covering urban environments from antiquity to historical cities. This thesis investigates...Show moreRecent archaeological studies reflect a growing interest in neighbourhoods and neighbourhood studies, covering urban environments from antiquity to historical cities. This thesis investigates neighbourhoods in Roman Ostia, through examining the spatial relationship of one city block within itself and to the rest of the city. The central research question in this thesis is how the buildings in insula IV iv along the Via del Tempio Rotondo relate to each other, to the street, and to the contemporaneous structures on the opposite side of the street. A second part of this question is whether this area functioned as part of one neighbourhood. This thesis focuses on two buildings in the insula that directly border the Via del Tempio Rotondo, to be able to provide a complete overview of one side of the insula. Although this thesis forms part of the larger investigations of insula IV iv, owing to its comprehensive treatment of a section of the insula, it presents a complete subproject in its own right. In addition to remapping and investigating the material remains in situ, different methods of Space Syntax are used to examine the buildings and the surrounding area. Access analysis and visual analysis are used to investigate the buildings themselves, and to determine how life in these buildings would have functioned. Several axial analyses are then used to determine how the city block relates to the rest of the city of Ostia. It can then be concluded that the buildings under investigation in this thesis were part of the same neighbourhood, although this neighbourhood would have stretched beyond the limits of a single street front. Eventually, directions for future research are presented.Show less
