The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of previous settlement occupations and land use exploitation on site location preference between during the post-Roman period (5th - 8th c. CE). In order to approach this topic in a quantitative and spatial perspective will be tested a methodology already developed for modelling the so-called "land use heritage maps" (Nuninger et al 2016a; 2016b). As case studies have been chosen two inland areas of the territory of Siena (Tuscany, Central Italy), both far from main cities. However, the two rural areas are characterized by diversified dynamics as regards Romanization and de-Romanization patterns. The Orcia Valley is an area where the presence of Roman settlement system (farms, villas and villages) was very impacting on the landscape, especially due to the land suitability for agriculture and the close relationship with rivers, streams and road network. During the Early Middle Ages, the Orcia Valley was crossed by the Francigena road and so it continued to have a high degree of connectivity. The second case study area, The Merse Valley, was characterized by a lower process of Romanization, due to its marginality from the main road system and the absence of suitable agricultural resources. The application of GIS-based spatial analysis to calculate "heritage maps" and its relationships with post-Roman settlement locations will provide new insights for evaluating different patterns of continuity, change and resilience in Late Antique and Early Medieval landscapes.

- Nuninger L., Verhagen P., Bertoncello F., Castrorao Barba A. 2016a, Estimating “land use heritage” to model changes in archaeological settlement patterns, LAC 2014 proceedings, pp. 1-12. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5463/lac.2014.60 - Nuninger L., Verhagen P., Bertoncello F., Castrorao Barba A. 2016b, Estimating the “memory of landscape” to predict changes in archaeological settlement patterns, in CAA 2015 proceedings, Oxford, pp. 623-636.

Talk delivered in Landscape Archaeology Conference 2020+1 “virtually together” in Madrid, Spain, 8-11 June 2021