Minds Without Maps: Space, Directionality and Wayfinding in Mid-Republican Rome

Abstract

This thesis explores the elusive concept of spatial cognition among the Romans of the Middle Republic and aims to create a nuanced picture of how they would have seen the world around them, understood spatial relationships, and formed mental landscapes. Discussions of Roman wayfinding and spatial cognition are still hampered by a “must-have-been” logic which assumes that a cartographic understanding of space is, if not the default, at least the most logical way of approaching spatial relationships. This distorts the ancient evidence and privileges the modern outlook. This thesis attempts to address the deficit in the modern scholarship by approaching Roman conceptions of space via the medium of language and spatial cognition. This methodological approach provides a new perspective on spatial cognition and allows us to examine the underlying cognitive elements of Roman spatial thought. The thesis re-evaluates the Roman interaction with and definition of space, demonstrating how space was perceived as more than just a physical manifestation. The evidence suggests that knowledge of true cardinal directions was not important during this period, despite their prevalence in later sources. This is highly suggestive of a lack of interest in space as an abstract phenomenon routinely orientated to a fixed set of directions. The same perspective is found in the representations of urban streetscapes where a space was defined by behavioural associations and nature of the movement through the space. Wayfinding was conducted as a series of disconnected jumps between landmarks, and was not cognitively integrated into an overall mental map. This behaviourally-focused definition of physical spaces places human experience at the forefront and implies an understanding of space as a fluid and socially constructed phenomenon. The thesis allows for a wider engagement with Roman spatial perception that moves beyond the limited arguments around the existence of maps in the ancient world.