Evaluating Hypotheses about Local Transport Systems through Spatial and Network Analysis: The Dutch Part of the Lower Rhine Limes and its Hinterland

The focus of this study is on transport in the Dutch part of the Lower Rhine limes, and particularly transport between the local and the military population with the intention of provisioning the Roman army. In comparison with the main transport infrastructure and interprovincial and imperial trade networks, little research has been done regarding local routes and transport movements, which can be attributed at least partly to the archaeologically untraceable nature of most of these connections. This chapter presents a study on the functioning of a Roman local transport network through computational approaches. In this study, a network of potential local transport connections is modelled using least-cost path approaches and a Gabriel graph structure. Using this network to compare two hypotheses, it was found that in some regions it is more efficient to move surplus goods from the local population to the military population through central gathering points prior to the transport in bulk towards a fort. In another region, a complementary system probably existed, where the forts functioned as gathering points for their direct vicinity while at the same time transport from more distant areas could be more efficiently organized through intermediary sites. In this study, the case of the potential intermediary site of Tiel-Medel was highlighted, as recent archaeological excavations have yielded evidence that strongly suggests its role as an important node in local transport networks. This shows that the methods employed here can be complementary to archaeological field research.