Theme:
6. A Decade after the ‘Third Science Revolution in Archaeology’
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Agent-based Modelling of Socio-ecological Systems in Archaeology. Towards a New Research Community
Content:
Agent-based modelling (ABM) has developed into an important methodological tool in archaeological research. ABM allows us to simulate the dynamics of complex systems, hypothesize individual and collective action, and investigate socio-ecological processes at various scales. It represents a veritable paradigm shift, not just for the study of the human past but also for the social sciences in general. Formal modelling tools such as ABM have several advantages over more informal approaches to study complex dynamics in past human and environmental systems. They 1) enforce conceptual clarity, 2) define mechanisms of change, 3) help infer dynamics in the past from the static archaeological record, and 4) allow for rigorous hypothesis testing. Applications in archaeology have been growing in number in recent years, but ABM is still on its path towards full maturation as a conceptual and methodological tool for studying the past. To continue making this maturation possible, we need to encourage wider dissemination among researchers and the establishment of standardized practices.
This session will be a follow-up to last year’s session introducing the Network for Agent-based modelling of Socio-ecological Systems in Archaeology (NASSA) and its associated models library as an important first step towards building a new research community. In this regard, we wish to organize this session within the scope of a new EAA community named “Computational Modelling of Socio-ecological Systems (COMS)”, which will be proposed to the EAA organization later this year.
Contributions can consist of, but must not be limited to:
1) Individual case studies highlighting a specific issue, method or solution in ABM
2) Proposals for the NASSA models library, including demos of ABM modules
3) Examples of integration of ABM with other (archaeological) methods
4) Standards and best practices in ABM, as well as directions for the current and future development
Keywords:
agent-based modelling, social-ecological systems, computational modelling, simulations
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Dries Daems (Turkey) 1
Co-organisers:
Philip Verhagen (Netherlands) 2
Iza Romanowska (Denmark) 3
Affiliations:
1. Middle East Technical University
2. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
3. Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies
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