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Estimating Population at Ancient Military Sites: The Use of Historical and Contemporary Analogy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

P. Nick Kardulias
P. Nick Kardulias*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Kenyan College, Gambier, OH 43022
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Abstract

Archaeologists have devised various methods to estimate the number of past site occupants. These techniques fall into a number of categories, but I will focus on two common approaches based on (1) the amount of roofed space each individual needs, and (2) the total site area and the number of persons per hectare. This report suggests that neither of these methods is fully appropriate for ancient military installations. Population estimates derived by the traditional techniques for the Byzantine fortress at Isthmia, Greece, are compared with numbers obtained by factors specific to a military camp. Through the examination of historical sources and contemporary military regulations, this paper presents a more appropriate coefficient for ancient fortresses, which had much denser populations than habitation sites. The use of such analogies, which are specific to the problem at hand, greatly increase the reliability of inferences.

Resumen

Resumen

Los arqueólogos han empleado diversos métodos para estimar el número de ocupantes de sitios del pasado. Estas técnicas pueden ser clasificadas en varias categorías, pero me concentraré en dos enfoques comunes basados en (1) la cantidad de espacio cubierto que necesita cada individuo y (2) el área total del sitio y el número de personas por hectárea. Este informe indica que ninguno de estos métodos es adecuado para antiguas instalaciones militares. Cálculos poblacionales derivados mediante técnicas tradicionales para elfuerte bizantino en Isthmia, Grecia, se comparan con cifras obtenidas mediante el uso de factores específicos de campamentos militares. A través del examen defuentes históricas y regulaciones militares contemporáneas, este artículo ofrece un coeficiente más apropiado para fuertes antiguos, los que poseían poblaciones más densas que sitios habitacionales. El uso de tales analogías, específicamente relacionadas al problema en cuestión, incrementa significativamente la confiabilidad de las inferencias.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , April 1992 , pp. 276 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1992

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