SPATIAL CONFIGURATION ANALYSIS VIA DIGITAL TOOLS OF THE ARCHEOLOGICAL ROMAN TOWN TIMGAD, ALGERIA

Abstract

In this research project, we studied the ancient Timgad site which has been classified on the World Heritage List of Humanity by UNESCO, in order to understand quantitatively and digitally what was its urban and architectural spatial configuration as no earlier studies were made about this archeological site. The approach to this important question was the space syntax method via its digital tools applications, such as Depthmap and Agraph. Using these software programs and quantitative metrics, it was possible to identify elements that lead us to distinguish between the spatial properties within the urban site related to access, flow, individual behaviour, and the amenities inside of an average building, with considerations which are related to accessibility, movement, and way of life. These findings lead us to assess the spatial archeological value. Valuable elements to the architects, urbanists, and archaeologists are related to the understanding of the social domestic life found through the excavated archeological buildings within the framework of human anthropology.