Stefan Frauenschuh

Landscape Archaeology, Cognitive Archaeology, Spatial Analysis, Archaeological Theory and Method

Dissertation Project:
Least cost path (LCP) analysis is a well established method in Landscape Archaeology to model and reconstruct ancient routes. LCP studies often rely on natural landscape characteristics (like the slope of the terrain) for their calculations, which is why they are often viewed and criticized for being eco-deterministic. My dissertation project develops a new theoretical basis for LCP calculations, that explains their epistemological potentials and limitations and how they may be conducted in a non-eco-deterministic way. That new theory of LCP calculations will then be tested in several case studies.