A description and sensitivity analysis of the ArchMatNet agent-based model.

Abstract

Archaeologists cannot observe face-to-face interactions in the past, yet methods derived from the analyses of social networks are often used to make inferences about patterns of past social interactions using material cultural remains as a proxy. We created the ArchMatNet agent-based model to explore the relationship between networks built from archaeological material and the past social networks that generated them. It was designed as an abstract model representing a wide variety of social systems and their dynamics: from hunter-gatherer groups to small-scale horticulturalists. The model is highly flexible, allowing agents to engage in a variety of activities (e.g., group hunting, visiting, trading, cultural transmission, migration, seasonal aggregations, etc.), and includes several parameters that can be adjusted to represent the social, demographic and historical dynamics of interest. This article examines how sensitive the model is to changes in these various parameters, primarily by relying on the one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach to sensitivity analysis. Our purpose is for this sensitivity analyses to serve as a guide for users of the model containing information on how the model works, the types of agents and variables included, how parameters interact with one another, the model outputs, and how to make informed choices on parameter values.