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Using space syntax analysis in archaeological site: Case of Cuicul (Djemila) in Setif, Algeria.

2022; Elsevier BV; Volume: 26; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.daach.2022.e00234

2212-0548

Wiem Zerouati,

Urban Transport and Accessibility

Architecture and archaeology have a common interest in space and society through time. The two disciplines agree on building, organising, and occupying people with their living space, which is only a reflection of social, cultural, political, and symbolic structures. This research is based on an urban analysis of the Algerian Roman city Cuicul located in Setif. This ancient city is a historic place classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the must-see tourist spots in Setif. The study explores the city's spatial structure and how public space was used for movement, activity, and interaction between people. For this, space syntax is used to analyse urban contexts based on the configuration of spatial systems. This research attempts to study human interaction and socialisation in the urban environment. Three tools are employed: All-line Analysis, Visibility Graph Analysis and Agent-Based Analysis. The research focuses on the urban configuration before and after the extension of the Christian part of the city and the public spaces and other important spaces of the Roman city like the theatre, the market and the temple. The results show a hierarchy in the street network founded on the importance of the two main axes: Cardo and Decumanus. The Christian extension has made the urban configuration more intelligible. These results make possible the exploitation of the most integrated spaces for tourist activities and remedy the most segregated places so that we can connect them to the system.