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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Imperial Dave on August 08, 2023, 07:26:13 AM

Title: Roman road network in Devon and Cornwall
Post by: Imperial Dave on August 08, 2023, 07:26:13 AM
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c16ey7ryd38o

With more resources imagine what could be done.
Title: Re: Roman road network in Devon and Cornwall
Post by: Duncan Head on August 08, 2023, 11:59:20 AM
QuoteThey then calculated the easiest routes between these points.
...
The final stage saw the researchers use focal mobility networks and transit corridors to extend the road network to areas that lay beyond the main Roman sites known in the region.

This sounds a bit like identifying where Roman roads should have been, rather than finding where they were. And if it includes "pre-existing prehistoric routeways", I'm not clear whether the Romans are supposed to have done anything with these routes or just continued to use existing paths - in which case, is it really a "Roman road"?
Title: Re: Roman road network in Devon and Cornwall
Post by: Erpingham on August 08, 2023, 12:23:06 PM
It is unfortunate that the map was not accompanied by any explanation of the abbreviations.  It appears that a lot of the network was created on a probabalistic basis which would be understood by geographers no doubt.  However, they have made some attempt to use it predictively, though the results seem limited so far.
Title: Re: Roman road network in Devon and Cornwall
Post by: Imperial Dave on August 08, 2023, 12:39:47 PM
a bit of judiciously applied patina i guess
Title: Re: Roman road network in Devon and Cornwall
Post by: Ian61 on August 08, 2023, 01:29:38 PM
Quote from: Erpingham on August 08, 2023, 12:23:06 PMIt is unfortunate that the map was not accompanied by any explanation of the abbreviations. 

Also I don't think many people would have a clue as to the position of North Tawton - I suspect the two black spots/points close together in the very widest part of Devon are North Tawton and Oakhampton - the latter is a few miles further south west but my experience of the topography from spending time staying at Oakhampton Camp is that Oakhampton would be more logical as a hub as it sits just off the edge off the Dartmoor which presumably they would skirt rather than going over. I am therefore slightly surprised by the amount of pink that seems to be going over moorland.