Decoding Archaeological Spaces: A Space Syntax Study of the Hellenistic Baths in Syracuse

Mei Yang; Zhiwei Ji

doi:10.5334/jcaa.197

Decoding Archaeological Spaces: A Space Syntax Study of the Hellenistic Baths in Syracuse

Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology

Volume 9 (2026): Issue 1

By: Mei Yang and Zhiwei Ji

Open Access

|May 2026

Abstract

The Baths of Syracuse (3rd century BC), located in the ancient city of Syracuse (modern Siracusa) in Sicily, Italy, are an important representative of Hellenistic public bath architecture. This study examines the spatial configuration of the Baths of Syracuse to identify architectural type and spatial hierarchy.

Comparative spatial analyses with other Hellenistic baths in Sicily and a Roman imperial bath situate the Syracuse baths within a broader archaeological research context.

This study integrates architectural design theory with space syntax methods and the Depthmap software (Turner 2001) to analyze the archaeological remains of the Syracuse baths, offering a quantitative and visual approach to understanding their spatial organization. By converting the bath spaces into Justified Plan Graphs (JPGs), this study applies three data models — connectivity, Integration, and Visibility Graph Analysis (VGA) — to examine the complex’s spatial configuration. This approach combines visual representation with quantitative analysis to evaluate the bath complex’s spatial organization.

Comparison of the case study demonstrates the value of space syntax as a quantitative tool for spatial analysis. The results contribute to discussions on the development of Mediterranean public bathing architecture from Greece to Rome.

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