Mapping the anthropic occupation of the territory. Tracing dynamics of human settlement from archaeological records and historic cartographies

Figures & data

Figure 1. Case study area. Source: By the main author through ArcGIS® and ArcMap ™ 10.4.1. software by Esri., 2020.

Read the detailed description of this figure

Map that covers the territory that surrounds the city of Seville (Andalusia, Spain) in an approximate radius of 25 kilometres. A diagram of Spain also appears that places the territorial scope of the map in the southwest of the country. The scope of the case study is indicated through a rectangle located northwest of Seville. On the map you can see some scenic landmarks: the Guadalquivir river, in the central area; the Guadiamar river, to the west; the cornice of Los Alcores, to the east; the north cornice of the Aljarafe, to the west, between Seville and the Guadiamar river; and the foothills of the Sierra Norte. The population centres indicated are Carmona, Alcalá de Guadaira, Dos Hermanas, Coria del Río, Seville, Alcalá del Río, Gerena, Aznalcóllar and Sanlúcar la Mayor. The Guadalquivir river, the Guadiamar river, the northern cornice of Aljarafe, the Gerena field and the Sierra Norte de Sevilla are also marked.

Figure 2. North cornice of El Aljarafe. View from Campo de Gerena. Source: Main author.

A photograph showing a cornice of three promontories with olive trees that stands out from the rest of the flat landscape. The colour of the landscape is esentially green, with rainfed crops being appreciated in the flat area.

Figure 3. View of industrial parks and fast roads in the river plain of Gualdaquivir from the North cornice of El Aljarafe. Source: Main author.

A photograph that shows a large industrial park with a blue tower of great landscape presence. Behind, there are highways and railways, which run through rainfed crops in a flat landscape. In the background, there is a vegetation line that hides the Guadalquivir river and, behind, the city of Seville.

Figure 4. Miniatures of the historical cartographies consulted, cut out and framed in the area of study. The reference number corresponds to that specified in Tables 1 and 2. Source: Main author.

29 miniatures of historical cartographies framed in the study area that mainly provide information on its main population centres. Also common in all of them is the clear signalling of the Guadalquivir and Guadiamar rivers and, only in the most recent dates, the main communication routes.

Table 1. Historic cartography consulted for the modern era. Source: Main author.

No.	Original Name	Autor	Date	Available at
1	Regni Hispaniae post Omnium editiones locuple[ti]ssima descriptio	Abraham Ortelius	1572	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 11-F-12.
2	Hispalensis conventus delineatio	Hieronÿmo Chiaves, Abraham Ortelius	1579	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 33-E-17.
3	Andaluziae nova descript	Jodocus Hondius	1606	Biblioteca de Andalucía (Granada). Code: md-2-40
4	Nova et accurata Tabula Hispaniae: Praecipuis Urbis, Vestitu, Insig nibus, et Antiquitatibus exornata	N. Johannis Visscher	1623	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 13-E-9
5	Tabla del Reyno de Andalvzia	Pedro Texeira	1634	Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Viena). Code: 46 ff. 55v-56.
6	Andaluzia continens Sevillam et Cordubam	Willem Janszoon Blaeu	1650	Biblioteca de Andalucía (Granada). Code: md-2-18
7	Les Estats de la Couronne de Castille, dans les Parties Plus Meridionales de l'Espagne. et la ou sont Castille Nouvelle, Andalousie, Grenade et Murcie	Nicolas Sanson d'Abbeville	1652	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 32-F-3.
8	Regnorum Castellae Novae, Andalusiae, Granadae, Valentiae, et Murciae: Accurata Tabula in Episcopatus etc	Frederick de Wit	1670	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 32-F-14
9	Il Regni di Granata, e D’ Andalucia	Giacomo Cantelli	1696	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: 30-G-10
10	Royaume d'Andalousie et de Granade = Kaart van Andalusien en Granade	Iohann Stridbek Iun.	1704	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 12-D-7
11	Regnorum Castellae Novae Andalusiae Granadae Valentiae et Murciae. Accurata Tabula	Nicolaes Visscher	1705–1714	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 32-F-21
12	Perfectissima geographica delineatio regnorum Vandalitiae, Granatae, et Algarbiae, tractuum meridionalium Portugalliae, Extremadurae ac Castellae Novae / suma diligentia correcta et edita a R. & I. Ottens	Ottens, Reiner & Josua	1745	Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya. Code: RM.6098 (3)
13	Map of the Reynado de Sevilla, executado por el Yngeniero en Gefe Dn. Francisco Llobet …	Francisco Llobet	1748	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 32-D-69
14	Partie Meridionale des Etats de Castille, où se trouvent La Castille Nlle. [Nouvelle] …	Didier Robert de Vaugondy	1751	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 12-M-26
15	Partie meridionale des costes d'Espagne ou sont les Royaumes de Granade et d'Andalousie …	Nicolas Guérard, Philippe V	1762	Bibliothèque nationale de France. Code: Collection d'Anville; 01706
16	Mapa o carta corographica que comprehende todas las provincias de marina, que componen el departamento de Cadiz	Joseph Antonio Espelius	1765	Biblioteca Nacional (Madrid). Code: Mr/43/036 Cádiz (Departamento marítimo)

Table 2. Historic cartography consulted for the contemporary era. Source: Main author.

No.	Original Name	Autor	Date	Available at
17	Mapa de Andalucía. the Bureau Topographique de l’Armée d’Espagne. Hoja n° 230.	J. Charles M. Bentabole	1811	Service Historique de la Défense, Département de ĺarmée de Terre (Vincennes). Code: 6M L12 B2 11 02.
18	Li regni di Siviglia, Cordova e Jaen: compresi nell'antica Andalusia, ed il regno di Granata	A.B. Borghi	1817	Biblioteca de Andalucía (Granada) Code: md-6-34
19	Carte Politique de L'Espagne et de Portugal: pour servir au voyage pittoresque de M. le Comte Alex. de Laborde	Baron Bory de St. Vincent Ex Colonel, Gravé par Vicq, Écrit par Pelicier	1824	Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Code: 32-L-18
20	Mapa de Andalucía con las nuevas divisiones	Auguste-Henri Dufour, Bulla et Jouy	1837	Archivo Cartografico de Estudios Geograficos del Centro Geografico del Ejercito. Code: Ar.E-T.1-C.3-57(3)
21	Mapa de la provincia de Sevilla. A la Dirección General del Cuerpo de Estado-Mayor / el Teniente Coronel del mismo	Federico Salazar	1844	Centro Geográfico del Ejército (Madrid). Code: Arm. G TBLA. 7ª carp. 2ª núm. 383.
22	Provincias de Sevilla y Huelva.	R. Alabern i Moles, Ramón y E. Mabon	1853	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: 41-K-21(MAP09)
23	Mapa Geográfico Itinerario de la Provincia de Sevilla.	C. Santigosa	1855	Biblioteca Nacional (Madrid) Code: M. 9v Sevilla
24	Mapa de la provincia de Sevilla	F. Coello	1869	Centro Geográfico del Ejército (Madrid). Code: Arm. G TBLA. 7ª carp. 2ª núm. 386.
25	Sevilla (Distrito militar). Mapas militares	Cuerpo de E.M. del Ejército	1881	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: 47-B-12
26	Sevilla. Mapa topográfico Nacional.	Dirección General del Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico.	1918	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: A-35-0984(ED1918NNN)
27	Alcalá del Río. Mapa topográfico Nacional.	Dirección General del Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico.	1918	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: A-35-0962(ED1918NNN)
28	Alcalá del Río. Mapa topográfico Nacional.	Dirección General del Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico.	1972	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: A-35-0962(ED1972NNS)
29	Sevilla. Mapa topográfico Nacional.	Dirección General del Instituto Geográfico Nacional.	1988	Instituto Geográfico Nacional Code: A-35-0984(ED1988NNN)

Table 3. Fields added to the attribute table. Source: Main author.

‘Historical period’ field	‘Type of settlement’ field		Summary of the main criteria used to establish the classification	‘Intensity of settlement’ field
Prehistory/ Protohistory	Urban settlements	Very high intensity	Archaeological sites with evidence of urbanisation and shown by historical research to have played a relevant role in the territorial patterns of commerce and defence	18
		High intensity	Rest of archaeological sites with evidence of urbanisation	14
		Moderate intensity	-	10
	Rural settlements	High intensity	Archaeological sites with abundant and concentrated presence of lithic and/or ceramic material	6
		Moderate intensity	Archaeological sites with minor scattered ceramic and/or lithic fragments	4
		Low intensity	Sites with archaeological evidence from these periods but very punctual and limited	2
Roman era and late antiquity	Urban settlements	Very high intensity	Archaeological sites with evidence of urbanisation and shown by historical research to have operated as nodes in the roman road network and have had an official legal status	18
		High intensity	Archaeological sites with evidence of urbanisation and shown by historical research to have played a relevant role in territorial patterns of commerce and defence	14
		Moderate intensity	Rest of archaeological sites with evidence of urbanisation	10
	Rural settlements	High intensity	Archaeological sites with abundant and concentrated presence of ceramic and construction materials	6
		Moderate intensity	Archaeological sites classified as villae	4
		Low intensity	Archaeological sites classified as small agricultural settlements, farms, cottages or shacks	2
Middle Age	Urban settlements	Very high intensity	Main city: central position in the middle age road network; evidence of very relevant defensive structures and religious buildings	18
		High intensity	Archaeological sites classified as villa or castillo with relevant defensive structures	14
		Moderate intensity	Archaeological sites classified as villa without relevant defensive structures	10
	Rural settlements	High intensity	Archaeological sites classified as lugar señorial or aldea	6
		Moderate intensity	Archaeological sites classified as alquería	4
		Low intensity	Archaeological sites classified as agricultural building	2
Modern era	Urban settlements	Very high intensity	Main city: central position in the modern road network; appears as the major city in the available mapping	18
		High intensity	Towns drawn and named in the 16th-18^th centuries cartography with relevant religious architecture	14
		Moderate intensity	Towns drawn and named in the 16th-18th centuries cartography without relevant religious architecture	10
	Rural settlements	High intensity	-	6
		Moderate intensity	Sites with archaeological evidence of the 16th-18^th centuries that are not drawn in the cartography or sites drawn as hacienda, cortijo or casa in the 19^th-20^th centuries cartography with architectural features that date their origin to the 16th-18th centuries.	4
		Low intensity	-	2
Contemporary era	Urban settlements	Very high intensity	Main city: central position in the contemporary road network; appears as the major city in the available mapping	18
		High intensity	Major towns drawn and named in the 19th-20^th centuries cartography	14
		Moderate intensity	Minor towns drawn and named in the 19th-20^th centuries cartography	10
	Rural settlements	High intensity	-	6
		Moderate intensity	Sites indicated as hacienda, cortijo or casa in the 19th-20th centuries cartography	4
		Low intensity	-	2

Figure 5. Landscape of the North Cornice of El Aljarafe from ‘Santa Brígida’ viewpoint. Source: Main author.

A photograph of an essentially rural landscape. A pedestrian path appears in the middle of the scene and, on both sides, two ploughed dry farming areas, essentially brown in colour. At the bottom of the photo there are olive grove areas, many electricity poles and, behind, an urban area.

Figure 6. Landscape of Campo de Gerena from the trail ‘ruta del Agua’. Source: Main author.

A photograph of a totally rural landscape where there is no human presence beyond a small rural construction and a tractor that runs along a road. The landscape is slightly acoline, with rainfed crops in green and yellow tones.

Data availability statement

The georeferenced information with which these maps have been developed cannot be publicly available. A part of the used spatial information has been provided to the authors through an external institution for the exclusive purpose of research and was not aimed to be distributed by the authors.