Ancient Topography for the Archaeology of the Pre-Roman Road System in Sicily: A Digital GIS-based study of the Plain of Catania

Abstract

This article examines the ancient road system of eastern Sicily, with a focus on the Plain of Catania, using a combined approach of archaeological survey, historical-topographical analysis, and spatial modelling in a GIS environment. It
highlights the long-term persistence of travel corridors, especially those aligned with river valleys and hill ridges, which have structured the landscape
from prehistoric times through the Greek and Roman periods. Of particular importance is the overlap between the network of herding tracks (trazzere) and ancient routes, as demonstrated by the GIS-based Minimum Spanning Tree analysis, which identifies forty-one points of contact between Greek-period evidence and post-antique rural paths. Despite the effectiveness of this
method in modelling ancient connectivity, the lack of stratigraphic data limits the cer tainty of chronological attribution. The study thus cautions against any comprehensive reconstruction of ancient road systems, advocating instead for an integrated, cautious, and context-sensitive interpretation.

KEYWORDS: Ancient topography, Sicily, Route network, GIS, Digital humanities, Mediterranean archaeology.