Pleiades: a collaborative workspace for ancient geographyTom Elliott, director, ancient world mapping center

Overview of presentation

goaldescribe current state of planning and design of a digital, collaborative workspace for ancient geographysolicit comments, suggestions and critiques

structurea hypothetical research scenariochallenges to successful completion of researchPleiades: how it will help & how it may work

Roman roads: a reference system

“I have gathered in this sketch ... such facts, hitherto scattered, as I have been able to get together, which bear on [the administration of the Roman aqueduct system] ... The present treatise also may be found useful by my own successor, but it will serve especially for my own instruction and guidance ...

I will first set down the names of the waters which enter the City of Rome; then I will tell by whom, under what consuls, and in what year after the founding of the City each one was brought in; then at what point and at what milestone each water was taken; how far each is carried in a subterranean channel, how far on substructures, how far on arches. Then ...”-Frontinus, On the Aqueducts (de aquaeductu), 1.1, 3

text courtesy of Bill Thayer, http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/Texts/Frontinus/De_Aquis/text*.html)

To the source of the Aqua Virgo

“[Marcus Agrippa], after his own third consulship, ... brought Virgo to Rome, taking it from the estate of Lucullus. ... The intake of Virgo is on the Collatian Way at the eighth milestone, in a marshy spot, surrounded by a concrete enclosure for the purpose of confining the gushing waters. Its volume is augmented by several tributaries. Its length is 14,105 paces....”

- Frontinus, On the Aqueducts (de aquaeductu), 1.10

Roman milestones

Roman milestone

Itineraries and itinerary maps

Detail from the Tabula Peutingeriana

Discoveries ex machina: the ‘Stadiasmus Provinciae Lyciae’

Patara (mod. Gelemiş in Turkey)a built-over 6th century AD Byzantine wall, a 1993 fire ...a description of the provincial road network in Lycia, erected by the first governor, Q. Veranius (AD 43/44-47/48) under orders from the emperor Claudius: over 40 blocks recovered

Hypothetical stadiasmus network

Hypothetical stadiasmus ‘pinned’ to known features

Some nodes in the network can be located exactly (e.g., Arsada, Tlos)Nodes without locations can be constrained because of their connections with located nodes (e.g., Cora)Previously unattested connections (road segments) between located nodes are constrained by various factors …

Predictive modeling for node and segment locationsPredictive modeling for node and segment locations

Constraints supplied by:

Known node locationsKnown road segmentsSegment lengths (stadiasmus)‘Connectedness’ of unlocated nodes (stadiasmus)Characteristics of observed contemporary road / terrain relationships

Multiple candidate segments / node locations possibleConstraints may force something to a very narrow area(!)

What do you need?

Collaboration: methods, techniquesData

Terrain elevationLocations of settlements, road segments, milestones, …Names of things that aren’t locatedDatesArchaeological survey dataBibliography -> to get data and understanding

How do you get what you need?

Prior to September 2000: Smith’s Atlas (1874)

How do you get what you need?

Prior to September 2000: Tabula Imperii Romani

How do you get what you need?Prior to September 2000: the ‘attribute data’

Pauly?Specialized bibliography?Into the swamp ...

Coverage of the Barrington Atlas

Barrington Atlas: Map 26

Barrington Atlas: Map-By-Map Directory

Barrington Atlas: what more do we need?

More data: larger scales, other time periodsDigitize & georegisterBreak the static map paradigm!Data discovery, data aggregation

LocationsNamesAttributes (period, type, importance)Accessibility

Make integration with other data sources modular and easy

Pleiades “strawman” interface

The Pleiades data model: geographic entities

entityentity

IDID

rageIDrageID

The Pleiades data model: placenames

entityentity placenameplacename

IDID

namename

languagelanguage

nametypenametype

encodingencoding

The Pleiades data model: placenames

entityentity placenameplacename

IDID

namename

languagelanguage

nametypenametype

encodingencoding

is calledis called

The Pleiades data model: placenames

The Pleiades data model: location(s)

entityentity

is called

placename

The Pleiades data model: location(s)

entityentity

is called

placename

locationlocation

locationTypelocationType

IDID

geoLocationgeoLocation

locationCertaintylocationCertainty

locationDescriptionlocationDescription

The Pleiades data model: location(s)

entityentity

is called

placename

locationlocation

locationTypelocationType

IDID

geoLocationgeoLocation

locationCertaintylocationCertainty

locationDescriptionlocationDescriptionis located atis located at

The Pleiades data model: dates

is located at

entityentity

is called

placename

location

The Pleiades data model: dates

is located at

entityentity

is called

placename

location

datedate

IDID

dateTypedateType

dateStringdateString

dateValuedateValue

dateCertaintydateCertainty

The Pleiades data model: dates

is located at

entityentity

is called

placename

location

datedate

IDID

dateTypedateType

dateStringdateString

dateValuedateValue

dateCertaintydateCertainty

was activewas active

The Pleiades data model: some more dates

is located at

place

is called

placenameplacename

location

datedate

IDID

dateTypedateType

dateStringdateString

dateValuedateValue

dateCertaintydateCertainty

was active

The Pleiades data model: some more dates

is located at

place

is called

placenameplacename

location

datedate

IDID

dateTypedateType

dateStringdateString

dateValuedateValue

dateCertaintydateCertainty

was active

was usedwas used

The Pleiades data model: etc.

For points, lines and areas:Uncertainty models, disagreementWhat if the “same” entity changed locations?Bibliographic references – live links? finding guide?

Continuous dataElevation and elevation-derived dataRemotely-sensed data / aerial photographs

Data that doesn’t fit our paradigmArchaeological survey data

Other modeling & design issues

Legacy dataUse casesSecurityEditorial authorityPlatform/implementationExternal connectivity

e-text resourcesRegister of Ancient Geographic Entities (RAGE)Stoa Waypoints Database

Where we actually are

Classical Atlas Project dataGazetteer + Map-by-Map Directory to XML60% of maps in Adobe Illustrator format

• test conversion process• eventual production in house?

40% of maps are film-produced• exploring raster scanning options (proof-of-

principle)• eventual production contracted out?

Pleiades design and implementationPrototyping summer 2001

Soliciting Barrington Atlas critiquesDownloadable and interactive web formsResults to XML for eventual incorporation

managing change!

affiliate 1

entity

changehistory

is part of

managing change!

affiliate 1

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is part of

managing change!

reviewer

affiliate 1

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is part of

managing change!

reviewer

editor

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managing change!

researcher

reviewer

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managing change!

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affiliate 1

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concur with modification,annotate

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affiliate 2concur, demur,

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recommend, deprecate, recommend with mod.,

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managing change!

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affiliate 2concur, demur,

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Ancient World Mapping Center

to promote cartography and geographic information science as essential to the study of antiquityhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/awmc