Toon Bongers
Toon Bongers is a PhD researcher at the Ancient History Research Group, and Historical Archaeology Research Group (HARG) at Ghent University. His research focuses on the role of waterways in the Roman-era transport system of the Scheldt and Meuse basin of Northern France, Belgium, and the Southern Netherlands. The past transport network is reconstructed by combining palaeogeographical and environmental data with identified road sections and waterways. Regional differences in travel time, transport cost, and overall accessibility are revealed through GIS-based spatial network analysis. These results will be (in)validated by investigating settlements, agents (or professional groups), and economic proxies (e.g. distribution of goods).
Supervisors: Koenraad Verboven and Wim De Clercq
Supervisors: Koenraad Verboven and Wim De Clercq
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What exactly was the role of waterways in the Roman transport network? Specifically, as our case study: how was riverine transport organized in the Scheldt basin between 50 BCE and 400 CE? But also, how were the riverine networks maintained and to what degree was this maintenance necessary in order for rivers to be efficient transport pathways? This paper reconstructs the integrated transport network through a multidisciplinary approach which combines institutional data (textual), data on agents and their attributes (epigraphical), spatial data (ancient roads and waterways), and archaeological proxies (sites, riverine structures and artefact distribution). This enables us to trace economic networks through artefacts, sites and epigraphy. Furthermore, this approach gives us the opportunity to, in a later stage, look at different scales: e.g. by positioning the meso network of the Scheldt basin within the macro-economic system of Gaul, but also by comparing the transport system of the Scheldt basin to that of other meso regions, such as the Meuse, Saône, and Rhône basin.
2) Selecting Navigable Rivers: Process, Problems And Possibilities
3) Case Study: Connectivity In the Scheldt Basin In Roman Period
What exactly was the role of waterways in the Roman transport network? Specifically, as our case study: how was riverine transport organized in the Scheldt basin between 50 BCE and 400 CE? But also, how were the riverine networks maintained and to what degree was this maintenance necessary in order for rivers to be efficient transport pathways? This paper reconstructs the integrated transport network through a multidisciplinary approach which combines institutional data (textual), data on agents and their attributes (epigraphical), spatial data (ancient roads and waterways), and archaeological proxies (sites, riverine structures and artefact distribution). This enables us to trace economic networks through artefacts, sites and epigraphy. Furthermore, this approach gives us the opportunity to, in a later stage, look at different scales: e.g. by positioning the meso network of the Scheldt basin within the macro-economic system of Gaul, but also by comparing the transport system of the Scheldt basin to that of other meso regions, such as the Meuse, Saône, and Rhône basin.
2) Selecting Navigable Rivers: Process, Problems And Possibilities
3) Case Study: Connectivity In the Scheldt Basin In Roman Period