Spatio-temporal modelling as a way to reconstruct patterns of past human activities

Archaeometry. 2016 Jun;58(3):513-528. doi: 10.1111/arcm.12182. Epub 2015 May 28.

Abstract

This paper examines the possibilities of creating quantified models of past human activities in both time and space. The study area lies in the southeastern Czech Republic and western Slovakia. The spatio-temporal model of behavioural categories was calculated with the help of Monte Carlo simulations and statistical testing. One of the main advantages of our approach is that it admits the probabilistic nature of input data, quantifies them and provides probabilistic results comparable with other proxies. It also presents a less biased way of how archaeological data from regions and periods with low numbers of 14C datings can be incorporated into models of past population dynamics.

Keywords: Central Europe; Monte Carlo simulation; chronology; modelling; past human activities; prehistoric population dynamics; temporal uncertainty.