Maps 2 Assignment

Due:

Big question: How does historical GIS help us answer questions about the ancient Roman world?

Learning objectives. By the end of this lesson you will:

1. demonstrate familiarity with robust historical GIS interfaces.

2. calculate distance and speed using historical GIS.

3. analyze information you learn from historical GIS.

4. be able to evaluate the usefulness of GIS metadata on historical GIS maps.

Background Information and Step 1

For this lesson you are going to be using, rather than building, GIS maps. You will use the Orbis map. Please note that thesee are interactive maps, so if a map doesn’t work at first, please try your secondary browser.

The first part asks you to use Orbis to answer questions about travel from Memphis (Egypt) to Melita (Malta) to Argentorate (France).

Please post your answers to the Experiment 9 discussion board.

Criteria
For this exercise, you are a male merchant, carrying a valuable package of silk from Memphis to Argentorate (current-day Strasbourg, France). You have promised your sister-in-law to stop in Melita (current day Malta) to deliver a letter to her husband. You are have enough money to travel by foot or by oxcart. Although you are willing to sail on a boat, your can only afford a slow boat or a boat that only travels during daylight. It is currently fall, and you must reach Argentorate by Spring in order to sell your silk.

Please read the following directions carefully. There are multiple questions in each section to answer.

Set your base information.

1. Set your departure town.

2. Set your arrival town.

3. Set the season to fall.

4. Set your “Network Modes” and the “Mode” based on the scenario given above.

Questions:

• How fast can your get from Memphis to Argentorate, with the above conditions?

• How far is it from Memphis to Meilta and then Melita to Argentorate?

• How do the “Cheapest” and “Shortest” routes differ from the fastest routes from Melita to Argentorate? ```

Zones of influence

1. Click on the “Network” tab.

2. Center on Argentorate and then Memphis.

3. Click “Calculate Network”

4. Click on “Zones”

Questions:

• What are the differences between the Argentorate zones and the Memphis zones? What do these differences tell you about the Roman world?

• As a silk merchant, which city do you think is best as your home shop, based on your reading of this Network map? Why do you think this city is best?

Calculating flow in the Roman empire

1. Reset the map (on the right hand side.

2. Set a route from Memphis to Melita.

3. Click on “Flow” and then “Calculate Flow.”

Questions

• What does the flow map tell you about transportation, trade, government, or culture in the Roman empire?

What is the best season to travel in the Roman empire?

Rest the map.

1. Calculate the fastest route from Memphis to Argentorate, with the necessary stop in Melita, given the constraints in the opening paragraph?

2. Click on Months.

Question

• During what month was it fastest to travel between these cities? Why?