Several projects, developed since the 1990s, provide the background for the ideas and questions on which this paper will focus. From the European programs 'Archaeomedes' I (1992-1994) and II (1996-1999) to the Archaedyn I project (2005-2007, ACI 'Spaces and Territories') and II (2009-2010), the object was to analyze the evolution of settlement patterns over a long period, from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages. These successive programs provided a common protocol for comparing several areas located in the Rhône valley (Archaeomedes ) and, later on, in different parts of France: Center, North-East and South-East, as well as in Slovenia (Archaedyn ).