My Research and Interests

I recently migrated all the content from this blog to my new website!

www.spatialtech-humanities.com, I’m looking forward to see you there.

The main aim of my research is to understand  the social and practical processes involved in human movement on a landscape scale, its archaeological evidence and the possible spatial patterns derived from its practice. As case study I’m analysing the the Copper (c. 3100-2100 BCE) and Bronze (c. 2100-850 BCE) Age societies of south-western Spain, focusing my research on the mountain environment of Sierra Morena (Andalucia, Spain). I’m currently using and developing diverse computer based methodologies of  spatial analysis combining GIS, Agent Based Modelling and High Performance Computing. Experimenting mainly with Cost Surface Analysis, visibility and movement models, my research is expected to shed light into the social processes that generated the observed patterns of spatial distribution of the material culture of movement.

Among the specific objectives of the research we can include:

-The identification and definition of the possible variables and factors that affected and influenced human movement in all societies during Late Prehistory in Europe.

-The definition of the specific parameters considered while travelling by the prehistoric societies of Western Sierra Morena (Andalucia, Spain).

-The definition of the influence that certain landscape elements (such as Megalithic monuments) might have in terrestrial navigation.

-The generation of diverse models of movement for the societies considered in the study cases taking into account forms of travelling (by foot, horse or chariot).

-The identification of possible pathways used during prehistory by these groups.

Although my main research is concerned with prehistory, I’m also involved in several projects looking at the mobility of Late Antique societies in the Balearic Islands and the history and archaeology of the Colonial period in Mexico, specifically of sugar production in sugar cane haciendas. I also collaborate with several Spanish institutions carrying out archaeological surveys and geophysics programmes with the University of Barcelona and the University Rovira I Virgili in Tarragona.