The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case
Although centuriation was only one system of Roman land division, its impact on the landscape and its visibility in modern field arrangements make it the most commonly recognized expression of Roman landscapes. Centuriated grid systems are usually analyzed from a materialistic point of view and cons...
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| Format: | Article |
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Archaeological Institute of America
2011
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/1727/ |
| _version_ | 1848790664184070144 |
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| author | Palet Martínez, Josep M. Orengo, Hèctor A. |
| author_facet | Palet Martínez, Josep M. Orengo, Hèctor A. |
| author_sort | Palet Martínez, Josep M. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Although centuriation was only one system of Roman land division, its impact on the landscape and its visibility in modern field arrangements make it the most commonly recognized expression of Roman landscapes. Centuriated grid systems are usually analyzed from a materialistic point of view and consequently regarded as an assertion of Roman dominance over conquered territories. In this sense, their productive function is clear. The hinterland of Tarraco (the ancient capital of the Roman province of Tarraconensis) offers one of the most clearly documented examples of multiple-grid centuriated systems. From 2006 to 2010, the Landscape Archaeology Research Group (GIAP) of the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology employed a wide array of digital and field methodologies at Tarraco to record the traces of centuriated land divisions and their Roman origin. Most importantly, these methods have allowed research to move beyond pure description of the traces to explore the concepts and ideas behind the making of a centuriated landscape. By using Tarraco as a case study, this article shows how centuriation was not only a system for dividing the land but also a conceptual appropriation of the landscape based on a strong mythical and religious background |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:16:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-1727 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:16:12Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | Archaeological Institute of America |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-17272020-05-04T20:24:26Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/1727/ The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case Palet Martínez, Josep M. Orengo, Hèctor A. Although centuriation was only one system of Roman land division, its impact on the landscape and its visibility in modern field arrangements make it the most commonly recognized expression of Roman landscapes. Centuriated grid systems are usually analyzed from a materialistic point of view and consequently regarded as an assertion of Roman dominance over conquered territories. In this sense, their productive function is clear. The hinterland of Tarraco (the ancient capital of the Roman province of Tarraconensis) offers one of the most clearly documented examples of multiple-grid centuriated systems. From 2006 to 2010, the Landscape Archaeology Research Group (GIAP) of the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology employed a wide array of digital and field methodologies at Tarraco to record the traces of centuriated land divisions and their Roman origin. Most importantly, these methods have allowed research to move beyond pure description of the traces to explore the concepts and ideas behind the making of a centuriated landscape. By using Tarraco as a case study, this article shows how centuriation was not only a system for dividing the land but also a conceptual appropriation of the landscape based on a strong mythical and religious background Archaeological Institute of America 2011 Article PeerReviewed Palet Martínez, Josep M. and Orengo, Hèctor A. (2011) The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case. American Journal of Archaeology, 115 (3). pp. 383-402. ISSN 0002-9114 http://www.ajaonline.org/article/931 doi:10.3764/aja.115.3.0383 doi:10.3764/aja.115.3.0383 |
| spellingShingle | Palet Martínez, Josep M. Orengo, Hèctor A. The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case |
| title | The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case |
| title_full | The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case |
| title_fullStr | The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case |
| title_short | The Roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the Ager Tarraconensis case |
| title_sort | roman centuriated landscape: conception, genesis and development as inferred from the ager tarraconensis case |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/1727/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/1727/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/1727/ |