Hydrographic Networks

Abstract Hydrographic networks have been the stage for major historical processes worldwide because of their economic importance and role as travel and communication pathways. This chapter focuses on this second aspect and explores the contribution of network approaches to addressing fluvial waterways in archaeology. First, it enquires into basic methodological issues concerning the modeling of hydrographic networks and how to connect them with archaeological data. It subsequently provides a critical overview of the literature that has linked formal analysis of hydrographic networks to archaeological problems and explores the potential of this approach to deal with topics that have not yet been thoroughly analyzed from this viewpoint. In doing this, two main areas of interest are identified. On the one hand, the study of hydrographic networks has been useful as a means to explore the flow of goods, information, and people along riverine routes, and hence to address topics such as exchange systems, settlement patterns, social inequalities, and landscape social construction. On the other hand, this approach may provide new insights into classical archaeological problems such as migration and diffusion through fluvial networks.