Evidence for Cognitive Spatial Models from Ancient Roman Land-Measurement

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• History of cartography
• Classical studies

Background:

• Previous scholarship posits a lack of survey-type (allocentric) cognitive maps in the Classical Mediterranean.
• This absence was thought to explain the scarcity of map-like spatial representations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the cognitive claim of absent survey-type mental maps in the ancient Roman world.
• To investigate the nature of spatial representations used by ancient Roman land-measurers.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of verbal descriptions of land plots from ancient Roman land-measurers.
• Examination of features within these descriptions that indicate underlying mental models of space.

Main Results:

• Verbal descriptions revealed features suggesting the presence of survey-type (allocentric) mental models.
• Evidence indicates integration of survey-type and route-type (egocentric) mental representations.
• The findings align with contemporary theories on spatial representation interaction and cultural variations.

Conclusions:

• Ancient Roman spatial cognition was more complex than previously assumed, incorporating both egocentric and allocentric representations.
• The study demonstrates an interaction between different types of spatial representations in historical contexts.
• This research reframes our understanding of cognitive maps and cartographic history in the Classical Mediterranean.