This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.
Landscape and Territory
Code: 106868 ECTS Credits: 62025/2026
| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeology | OB | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Oriol Olesti Vila
- Email:
- oriol.olesti@uab.cat
Teachers
- Ermengol Gassiot Ballbe
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There are no special prerequisites, beyond having taken the first and second year subjects of the Archaeology Degree, which are essential to understand the territorial and social projection of this knowledge.
Objectives and Contextualisation
At the end of the course, the student must demonstrate:
- Having achieved the contents expressed in the syllabus and identifying any of its points in the context that corresponds to it.
- Being familiar with the main techniques for analyzing space in archaeology, both cartographic and paleoenvironmental.
- Being able to analyze, process and interpret any type of additional material (texts, maps, aerial photos, tables, graphics) in accordance with the contents of the syllabus and place it in the corresponding framework.
- Demonstrate having done the minimum required readings (books and/or specially indicated chapters and/or recommended articles).
- Knowing how to identify and distinguish the different forms of occupation and exploitation of the territory developed by the various prehistoric and historical societies worked on in the syllabus.
- Having achieved a comprehensive and global knowledge of the subject through the articulation and relationship between the different points into which the syllabus is divided.
Learning Outcomes
- CM16 (Competence) Apply space analysis and management tools to the methodological design of basic and applied archaeology work.
- CM17 (Competence) Identify the construction processes of social spaces (territory, landscape) in the past, recognising the anthropic footprint on natural environments, so they can be integrated into explanations of the past.
- KM26 (Knowledge) Recognise the contributions of architecture, geography, geology and paleoenvironmental disciplines, as well as developments in GIS resources and computer databases for the comprehensive development of archaeology.
- KM27 (Knowledge) Archaeologically identify the expression in space of historical and social processes integrating a spatial perspective of analysis on various scales, from the regional level to that within the settlement.
- SM26 (Skill) Analyse societies of the past from an understanding of the pattern of dispersion and spatial location of their archaeological remains.
- SM28 (Skill) Apply cartographic, LIDAR, GIS and geobase resources for the representation and management of archaeological information, as well as the dissemination of heritage.
- SM29 (Skill) Use geobases and GIS resources in archaeology fieldwork, as well as in the study of archaeological materials and contexts.
Content
BLOCK I. INTRODUCTION TO SOME THEORETICAL NOTIONS. (Shared teaching by Ermengol Gassiot and Oriol Olesti)
1. The notion of space in the social sciences.
2. Categories and proposals for the analysis of space in archaeology.
- The analysis of catchment areas.
- Settlement patterns and systems.
- Mobility patterns.
3. Ancient landscapes. Geography and ancient rationalities.
BLOCK II. ANALYSIS TOOLS: INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION TO PRACTICAL CASES. (Teaching by Ermengol Gassiot)
1. Archaeology, space and territory in the Alt Pirineu.
- Introduction to archaeological research in Vallferrera
- Archaeology and human settlement in high mountain areas: the Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant
Maurici National Park
2. Reconstruction of space in the past.
- Paleoclimate.
- Paleovegetation.
3. Geographic Information Systems (GIS): operating principles.
4. Construction of databases in archaeology.
- Semantic databases
- Spatial databases
5. Preparation of maps
- Search and download of cartographic databases
- Preparation of thematic maps
6. Dumping of archaeological data in GIS
- Import of points associated with semantic databases
- Import of other structures associated with spatial databases
7. Analysis
BLOCK III. RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS: ANCIENT LANDSCAPES. (Teaching by Oriol Olesti)
1. The landscapes of the Iron Age. The Iberian Peninsula.
2. The landscapes of Ancient Greece. Literary and epigraphic documentation.
3. The landscapes of Ancient Greece. Examples.
4. Ancient Rome. Documentation. Surveyors. Epigraphy. "Delimiting the territory".
5. Ancient Rome. The genesis of a model. Types of Ager. "Inventorying the territory".
6. Rome. Centuriation. The ideal model.
7. Rome. Exploiting resources: Agriculture. Villae and rural landscape.
8. Rome. Exploiting resources: irrigation and water management.
9. Rome. Exploiting resources: Mining.
10. Rome. Strategic control of the territory. Roads and fortifications.
11. The Landscape at the end of the ancient world. Territorial control.
12. The landscape at the end of the ancient world. Exploiting resources.
FIELD PRACTICE
Part of the teaching in Block II will be carried out in a two-day field practice in the Pyrenees (National Park and Virós Forest).
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Field research | 10 | 0.4 | SM28, SM29, SM28 |
| Seminars | 30 | 1.2 | KM26, SM26, SM29, KM26 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 20 | 0.8 | SM26, SM26 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Activities Continous Evaluation | 25 | 1 | CM16, CM17, KM27, CM16 |
| Assesment | 5 | 0.2 | CM16, CM17, KM27, SM26, CM16 |
- Attendance at theoretical classes led by the teacher.
- Attendance at seminar/practical sessions led by the teacher.
- Participation in practical classes outside the classroom and in activities derived from them.
- Comprehensive reading of texts and interpretation of cartographies, graphs, tables and archaeological documents.
- Carrying out reviews, works and analytical comments, individually and in groups.
- Personal study.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activities from the Seminars | 40 % | 25 | 1 | KM26, KM27, SM28, SM29 |
| Assesment | 30 % | 5 | 0.2 | CM17, KM27, SM26 |
| Review of paper/papers | 30 % | 30 | 1.2 | CM16, KM26 |
30% Exam. This exam will be carried out with the help of all the materials that the student wants to bring to the classroom (notes, articles, etc.).
30% Reviews and written work.
30% Practical work and activities carried out in the Seminars.
10% Class participation.
The evaluation activities submitted within the deadlines established by the teacher of the subject will be reassessed; in no case may an exercise be submitted for the first time during the reassessment period. Participation, attendance and progression are not reassessed.
A student will be considered "not presented" if he has submitted less than 60% of the assessable evidence.
The student who takes advantage of the Single Assessment must submit the same number of activities, except for the one corresponding to the field trip.
Bibliography
It is very convenient for students to use the bibliography as an accessible tool to achieve a global knowledge of the contents and be able to propose and develop any topic or extension section. In addition to the attached list, complementary readings will be recommended in the classroom during the course of teaching.
Amado, X. (1997). "La aplicación del GPS a la arqueología". Trabajos de Prehistoria, 54(1): 155-165.
Ariño, E., Gurt, J.M., Palet, J.M. (2003), El pasado presente. Arqueología de los paisajes en la Hispania
Romana, Barcelona 2003.
Augé, O.; Gassiot, E.; Pélachs, A. (2012). "La producció de ferro a la protohistòria i època romana al Pallars
Sobirà. L'exemple del Bosc de Virós a la Vall Ferrera". A DD. AA. Boscos de Ferro. Actes de les Primeres
Jornades de Recerca i Desenvolupament de la Vall Ferrera. Tremp: Garsineu. Pp. 9 -40.
Baena, J.; Blasco, C.; Quesada, F. (eds.) (1997). Los SIG y el Análisis espacial en Arqueología. Madrid:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Berger, J. F. (dir). (2005). Temps et espaces de l'homme et société : analyses et modèles spatiaux en
archéologie : actes des recontres, 21-23 octobre 2004. Antibes : APDCA.
Binford, L. W. (1982). "The Archaeology of Place". Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 1, 5-31.
Chouquer, G.-Favory, F. (1991), Les paysages de l'antiquité. Terres et cadastres de l'Occident romain, París.
Chouquer, G.-Favory, F. (2001), L'arpentage romain, Ed. Errance, Paris.
Clavel-Lévêque, M. (Ed.) (2000), Atlas Historique des Cadastres d'Europe I, Bruselas.
Clavel-Lévêque, M.,Orejas, A., (Ed.) (2002), Atlas Historique des Cadastres d'Europe II, Luxemburg.
Conolly, J. i Lake, M. (2009). Sistemas de información geográfica aplicados a la arqueología. Barcelona:
Bellaterra arqueología.
Criado, F. (1999). Del terreno al espacio planteamientos y perspectivas para la arqueología del paisaje.
Santiago de Compostela : Grupo de Investigación en Arqueología del Paisaje. Universidade de Santiago de
Compostela
Davidson, I.; Bailey, G. N. (1984). "Los yacimientos, sus territorios de explotación y la tropografía". Boletín del
Museo Arqueológico Nacional, 2(1): 25-43.
Ejarque, A.; Miras, Y.; Riera, S.; Palet, J.M.; Orengo, H.A. (2010). "Testing microregional variability in the
Holocene shaping of high mountain cultural landscapes: a palaeoenvironmental case-study in the Eastern
Pyrenees". Journal of Archaeological Science, 37, 1468-1479
Fairclough, G., Moller, P.G. ( 2008), Landscape as Heritage. The management and protection of Landscape in
Europe, Action Cost A27. Berna.
García Luján, L. (2005). Introducción al Reconocimiento y Análisis Arqueológico del Territorio. Barcelona:
Ariel.
Gassiot, E., Rodríguez Antón, D., Pèlachs, A., Bal, M.C., Garcia, V., Julià, R., Pérez, R., Mazzucco, N. (2014).
"La alta montaña durante la Prehistoria: 10 años de investigación en el Pirineo catalán occidental". Trabajos
de Prehistoria, 71(2): 262-282.
Gassiot, E., Clemente, I., Mazzucco, N., Garcia, D.; Obea, L., Rodríguez Antón, D. (2016). "Surface surveying
in high mountain areas, is it possible? Some methodological considerations". Quaternary International, 402:
35-45.
Grau, I. (ed) (2006). La Aplicación de los SIG en la arqueología del paisaje. San Vicente del Raspeig,
Universidad de Alicante
Howard, P. (2006). Archaeological surveying and mapping: recording and depicting the landscape. New York:
Routledge.
Jarman, M. R.; Vita-Finzi, C.; Higgs, E. S. (1972). "Site catchment analysis in archaeology". A: Ucko, P.;
Tringham, T.; Dimbledy, C. (eds.). Man, Settlement and Urbanism. Londres: Duckworth, pp. 61-66.
Le Couédic M. (2012). Modéliser les pratiques pastorales d'altitude dans la longue durée, Cybergéo: European
Journal of Geography, Systèmes, Modélisation, Géostatistique [en ligne], http://cybergeo.revues.org/25123
Lock, G.; Molyneaux, B. L. (eds) (2006). Confronting scale in archaeology : issues of theory and practice. New
York : Springer.
López, P. (1994), Laeconomía política de los romanos. La ciudad romana ideal. El territorio. Santiago de
Compostela.
Ñaco, T., Olesti, O., Prieto, A. (eds.) (2000). Anàlisis paleoambientals i estudi del territori, Barcelona.
Olesti, O. (2014), Paisajes de la Hispania Romana: la explotación de los territorios del Imperio. Ed. DStoria (hi
ha 4 exemplars a la biblioteca UAB).
Orejas, A. (1991). A"rqueología del paisaje: historia, problemas y perspectives". Archivo español de
arqueología, Vol. 64, Nº 163-164: 191-230.
Orejas, A. (1995). "Arqueología del paisaje: de la reflexión a la planificación". Archivo español de arqueología,
Vol. 68, Nº 171-172: 215-224.
Orejas, A. (1998). "El estudio del paisaje: visiones desde la arqueologia". Arqueología espacial. Nº 19-20:
9-20.
Orejas, A. (2006), Arqueología de los paisajesagrarios e historia rural. Arqueología espacial, Nº 26: 7-19.
Orejas, A. Mattingly, D., Clavel-Léveque, M. (2009). From present topast through landscape, Action Cost A27.
Madrid.
Pasquinucci, M.; Trement, F. (eds.) (2000). Non-destructive techniques applied to landscape archaeology.
Oxford: Oxbow.
Pleiner, R. (2000): Iron in Archaeology. The European Bloomery Smelters, Praha: Archeologicky Ústav Av Cr.
Santos, M. (2000). La naturaleza del espacio. Barcelona: Ariel.
Soriano, J. M.; Mendizábal, E.; Pélachs, A., Pérez, R.; Gassiot, E. (2010). "Per què el paisatge és com és?".
Portarró 27: 4- 7.
Vita-Finzi, C.; Higgs, E. S. (1970). "Prehistoric economy in the Mount Carmel area of Plaestine: site catchment
analysis". Proceedings of the prehistoric Society, 36: 1-37.
Software
Word, Pwpt., QGIS.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PCAM) Field practices | 11 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PCAM) Field practices | 12 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |