Complexity Science and Networks in Archaeology

Abstract

AbstractThe study of complex systems has been a fertile ground across many scientific disciplines. Archaeology has been late in wider adoption of complexity science, both in terms of the philosophy of science shift, and in terms of the technical move toward more computational-based research. However, its potential to address questions on complex dynamic interactions, long-term adaptive processes, and socionatural mechanisms makes it a relevant tool for studying past societies. Network science is, together with simulation, a key tool for studying complexity. They are commonly used to describe and model the web of interactions between components of complex systems, and several archaeological applications demonstrate their potential. Network science techniques provide a formal framework that makes it easier to reconstruct the lives and behavior of past peoples based on their aggregated actions preserved in the archaeological record. It also makes it easier to understand and generalize the processes behind these trends, thus unlocking the comparative potential of archaeology and history for contemporary problems and giving computational archaeologists a significant role to play.