Understanding past territorial dynamics through the integrated study of movement, pathways and transport networks

International audience; Settlement patterns and path networks represent different but connected perspectives on human-environment interaction through movement, manifested through the appropriation and organisation of landscape by societies. Settlement patterns and path networks evolve with unharmonized temporalities, but in constant interaction which render the territorial studies very challenging. Remote sensing, GIS and 3D modeling have greatly contributed to our knowledge and understanding of movement as encapsulated in routes, but the methods employed make it difficult to connect with theories of engagement through travel. Pragmatically, it is difficult to integrate LiDAR-detected traces of pathways, which conflate temporalities, with network analysis techniques and settlement pattern analysis which focus on changing patterns over time.This paper argues for an integrated approach. After a general review of the main methods developed to detect and model movement, pathways and networks of transportation, a conceptual framework will be presented that will enable us to make the connection between the material evidence of routes and various computer-based models of movement, and thus better understand territorial dynamics. This conceptual framework investigates connectivity at various spatiotemporal scales. Most importantly, it creates an explicit framework for research using both detection and modelling-led approaches. A comparison of regional case studies from the literature will be presented to discuss the balance between general models and specific contextualisation.