Spaces
摘要
The final chapter introduces the concept of space as different from place. Adapting Edward Soja’s concept of lived space to one of historical space, it is argued that this allows us to study the integration in time and place of the social and material networks that have been described in previous chapters. This argument is developed through discussions of seascapes, landscapes and cityscapes. Ancient seascapes are approached through descriptions of visual sailing aids in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. A map of the East African kingdom of Axum in the sixth century CE gives insight into the historical landscape of that region, while cityscapes, exemplified with the archaeological remains of the Syrian city Palmyra, open windows to the lived worlds of urban populations almost two millennia ago. The book ends with a brief epilogue drawing together the conclusions from the previous chapters on places, people, things and animals, restating the argument for network theory as a means to integrate the discussion of these phenomena within a unified framework.