Investigating connectivity in the Metapontine chora using Least Cost Path

Abstract

Ancient sites identified through the surface-level collection of artifacts in the countryside of the Greek settlement of Metaponto reveal a collection of extra-urban necropoleis, sanctuaries, and farmsteads. Topographical anomalies identified in aerial photography of this area also suggest a possible system of land division. Using Least Cost Path, routes most likely used for travel are identified, many of which overlap the anomalous “division lines.” These routes represent potential roads between farmsteads and rural sanctuaries of Metaponto in the 5th-3rd centuries BCE, and their interaction with the “division lines” reveals their potential use within a system of property delineation in the chora (‘countryside’). The formation of rural communities centered upon these rural sanctuaries is also explored.