Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Advancing Paleolithic Intra-Site Spatial Analysis: New Methods, Applications, and Interpretation
Content:
The exploration of spatial patterns within Paleolithic sites is a fundamental aspect of archaeological research. It serves as a critical lens through which to explore site utilization and site formation processes. Archaeologists have long employed spatial analysis, but recent advancements in spatial statistics and modeling have significantly enriched their interpretive potential. This session seeks to address pivotal questions surrounding the detection, analysis, and interpretation of intra-site spatial patterns in Paleolithic contexts, and invites researchers to contribute to a dialogue on recent methodological advancements and diverse applications of intra-site spatial analysis in Paleolithic archaeology.
This session has a dual focus. On the one hand, we aim to explore methodological innovation, and welcome presentations and discussions on new approaches, including GIS analysis, cluster detection, and spatial statistics, among others. The goal is to assess the efficacy, applicability, challenges, and pitfalls of these methodologies in order to foster methodological language consistency and rigorous applications to the archaeological record, alongside inspiring further methodological advancements. On the other hand, we aim to highlight and understand the potential interpretative power and boundaries of spatial analysis in addressing and advancing our understanding of site formation processes, palimpsests, and behaviors in Paleolithic sites.
Additionally, experimental work in the field of spatial analysis is an issue that has been underexplored thus far. Likewise, we have limited knowledge about the spatial patterns resulting from the activities of modern hunter-gatherers. Therefore, experimental, or ethnographic proposals that help us gain a better understanding of past behaviors will be greatly valued.
In summary, this session aims to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration among researchers in the field of spatial analysis in Paleolithic archaeology. We anticipate a mix of methodological, experimental, and case study presentations that together will enhance our understanding and methods for analyzing spatial patterns of Paleolithic sites.
Keywords:
spatial patterning, spatial interpretation, hunter-gatherer archaeology, spatial statistics, spatial behaviour, site formation
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:
Lucía Cobo-Sánchez (Portugal) 1
Co-organisers:
Andion Arteaga-Brieba (Spain) 2,3
Amanda Merino-Pelaz (Spain) 4
Abel Moclán (Spain) 5
Lucía Villaescusa (Spain) 6
Affiliations:
1. The Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB), Universidade do Algarve
2. Universidad Rovira i Virgili, Departament d’Història i Història de l’Art
3. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES)
4. Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Historia y Filosofía
5. Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA)
6. Universidad de Alcalá
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