This article examines how GIS can be used as a heuristic tool to reconstruct spatial–temporal events from narratives in order to examine whether a scenario is conceivable within the narrative world. The narrative about Paul's escape from Berea (Acts 17:14–15) is used as a case study. Several interpretive issues related to spatial and temporal questions surround these texts. In the case study, three methods are applied: (a) least-cost path analysis on elevation data to construct journeys and travel times for Roman roads; (b) network analysis to find seafaring routes valid for ancient times; and (c) the integration of spatial and temporal data in a space-time cube. Our main finding is that the method yields insights into the spatial–temporal dynamics of the narrative. This helps a modern reader to better understand the narrative conceivability of a story in the mind of a first-century reader.

中文翻译：

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GIS 作为解释古代史学的启发式工具：根据新约文本中的记载重建可能发生的事情的案例研究


本文探讨了如何使用 GIS 作为启发式工具从叙事中重建时空事件，以检验某个场景在叙事世界中是否可以想象。关于保罗逃离庇哩亚的叙述（使徒行传 17：14-15）被用作案例研究。围绕这些文本的一些与空间和时间问题相关的解释问题。在案例研究中，应用了三种方法：（a）对高程数据进行最低成本路径分析，以构建罗马道路的行程和旅行时间； (b) 网络分析以寻找古代有效的航海路线； (c) 将空间和时间数据整合到时空立方体中。我们的主要发现是，该方法可以洞察叙事的时空动态。这有助于现代读者更好地理解第一世纪读者心目中故事的叙事构思。