HOW DIFFICULT? MOUNTAIN ROADS AND PATHWAYS REACHING ANCIENT MELID !MALATYA" IN SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA: A RECONSIDERATION

Abstract

#e reconstruction of ancient road systems is undoubtedly one of the main objectives of historical geography. However, tracing
ancient routes – which formed pathways of cultural, economic and political interchange – remains often di$cult, because of
the scarcity of historical and archaeological sources, and of the inherent problems in the identi%cation of ancient toponyms.
#is is certainly true for the south-eastern region of Anatolia in pre-Classical times: although epigraphic sources of di&erent
provenience do provide us with some information on ancient itineraries, many uncertainties and gaps in documentation still
prevent an overall comprehension of ancient road systems. As a case study, the present article analyses the ancient site of Melid
(Malatya), identi%ed with the Arslantepe mound located in the Malatya plain. Ancient sources will be re-analysed with the
help of computational modelling, which may %ll in, at least partially, the gaps in the available documentation, simulating the
impact of the social interactions and political changes over the evolution of an ancient road system.