Big questions for large, complex datasets: approaching time and space using composite object assemblages

Cooper, Anwen; Green, Chris

doi:10.11141/ia.45.1

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…The last few years have seen a real resurgence of interest in how best to construct long-term time proxies of human activity, whether with regard to changes in the aggregate human population (e.g. this journal issue; [1,2]), settlement patterns [3][4][5][6], land cover and land use [7,8], metal production and deposition [9] or food storage strategies [10], to name but a few. This fresh ambition for a systematic longitudinal view goes well beyond the traditional construction of archaeological typologies or chronologies for their own sake and looks to contribute more meaningfully to wider, cross-disciplinary, longue durée debates about change over the Pleistocene and Holocene.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modifiable reporting unit problems and time series of long-term human activity

Bevan

Crema

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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This paper responds to a resurgence of interest in constructing long-term time proxies of human activity, especially but not limited to models of population change over the Pleistocene and/or Holocene. While very much agreeing with the need for this increased attention, we emphasize three important issues that can all be thought of as modifiable reporting unit problems: the impact of (i) archaeological periodization, (ii) uneven event durations and (iii) geographical nucleation-dispersal phenomena. Drawing inspiration from real-world examples from prehistoric Britain, Greece and Japan, we explore their consequences and possible mitigation via a reproducible set of tactical simulations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography’.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modifiable reporting unit problems and time series of long-term human activity

Bevan

Crema

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Archaeology, like many other disciplines, is confronted by a rich but unsystematic body of legacy data, combined with rapidly expanding quantities of digital and especially geospatial information (Witcher, 2008; Bevan, 2015; Cooper & Green, 2016; 2017; McCoy, 2017). This archive presents significant conceptual and practical challenges in terms of uneven data quality, incompatible field methods, and issues around the objectivity of the description and meaningful interpretation of archaeological entities.…”

Section: Survey Data: Comparison Integration and Generalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Roman Hinterland Project: Integrating Archaeological Field Surveys around Rome and Beyond

et al. 2021

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This article presents the background to and prospects for a new initiative in archaeological field survey and database integration. The Roman Hinterland Project combines data from the Tiber Valley Project, Roman Suburbium Project, and the Pontine Region Project into a single database, which the authors believe to be one of the most complete repositories of data for the hinterland of a major ancient metropolis, covering nearly 2000 years of history. The logic of combining these databases in the context of studying the Roman landscape is explained and illustrated with analyses that show their capacity to contribute to major debates in Roman economy, demography, and the longue durée of the human condition in a globalizing world.

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“…Archaeological finds come from different types of contexts and contribute differently to our understanding of the past. Metal detector finds must be treated on their own terms in order to get the most out of the data available (for a critical perspective on the use of detector finds as research data, see Robbins, 2013; Cooper & Green, 2017).…”

Section: Explaining the Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Cooperative Approach to Hobby Metal Detecting: The European Public Finds Recording Network (EPFRN) Vision Statement

et al. 2020

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Hobby metal detecting is a controversial subject. Legal and policy approaches differ widely across national and regional contexts, and the attitudes of archaeologists and heritage professionals towards detectorists are often polarized and based on ethical or emotive arguments. We, the European Public Finds Recording Network (EPFRN), have implemented collaborative approaches towards detectorist communities in our respective contexts (Denmark, England and Wales, Finland, Flanders, and the Netherlands). Although our motivations are affected by our national circumstances, we base our work on an agreed set of goals, practices, and visions. This article presents the EPFRN's vision statement and provides insight into its underlying thoughts. We hope to create a debate on how to develop best practice approaches that acknowledge the inherent challenges of hobby metal detecting while realizing its potential.

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Big questions for large, complex datasets: approaching time and space using composite object assemblages

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Modifiable reporting unit problems and time series of long-term human activity

Modifiable reporting unit problems and time series of long-term human activity

The Roman Hinterland Project: Integrating Archaeological Field Surveys around Rome and Beyond

Towards a Cooperative Approach to Hobby Metal Detecting: The European Public Finds Recording Network (EPFRN) Vision Statement

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