THE LANDSCAPE AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ROMAN PERIOD ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AT THE EASTERN BORDER OF DOLLKEIM- KOVROVO/SAMBIAN-NATANGIAN CULTURE

The article deals with characteristics of the cultural landscape of archaeological sites of Dollkeim-Kovrovo (Sambian-Natangian) culture dating from the Roman Period. The study is based on a spatial analysis, and is built on the currently known information, drawn from prewar archives, publications, research from the second half of the 20th century, and on the results of field surveys conducted by the author. GIS-based techniques were applied. The archaeological sites from the Roman Period located on the eastern border of Dollkeim-Kovrovo Culture in the valleys of the River Pregolja and the River Dejma are the focus of attention. In order to carry out a comparative analysis, information on the burial grounds of the ‘cultural core’ on the Samland Peninsula is used. The spatial layout of the burial grounds and settlements is analysed. As a result, a pattern for the spatial evolution of Dollkeim-Kovrovo culture in the Roman Period and the testing of the hypothesis of the existence of ‘contact zones’ in the West Balt cultural circle are proposed for consideration. Key words: southeast Baltic region, West Balt cultural circle, Roman Period, Dollkeim-Kovrovo/Sambian-Natangian culture, River Pregolja valley, landscape analysis, geoinformation systems. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/ab.v23i0.1297