GIS analysis and the abandoned settlements in Pausanias’ Periegesis: a methodological proposal

Abstract

The Periegesis of Pausanias, an invaluable account detailing the state of Greece in the 2^nd century AD, represents an ideal example of a classical text suitable for a complex geospatial representation, due to the sheer amount and precision of the author’s descriptions. More importantly, Pausanias’ accounts of specific features, mostly identified by archaeological research, often adhere to precise literary and cultural criteria. This approach by the author may lead to several layers of analysis of the text’s content. The distribution of abandoned settlements, in particular, may be indicative not only of the actual state of Roman-era Greece and the demographic evolution of the accounted regions, but also of the cultural goals of the author. This article focuses on the possibility of adopting a GIS-based methodology in the analysis and evaluation of the content of a classical text, starting with its digitization and subsequently isolating specific elements related to a particular phenomenon. Such features, in turn, underwent a process of textual analysis and data systematization, thus enabling the evaluation of conclusions potentially useful for the literary research.