| Περίληψη: | Within the framework of the Excellence Cluster Topoi, a fruitful interdisciplinary debate on
space and movement over the long term has developed. The workshop “Computational approaches
to movement in archaeology” (organized on January 6 2011 in Berlin) tackled
questions related to space and movement in the framework of computational archaeology,
landscape archaeology, historical geography and archaeological theory. The current volume,
which is the product of this meeting, brings together contributions that show how the study
of settlement patterns and movement has been dramatically transformed by the use of spatial
technology (GIS), in particular Cost Distance and Least Cost Paths (LCP) Analysis. The
term “least cost path” is somewhat deceptive, however, since it is not just the costs of movement,
but also the benefits of moving to a particular location that influenced the routes
chosen and created.
Archaeological theories about the way people moved in the landscape, and how they
created and maintained paths and communication networks are often based on relatively
abstract notions. For example, several papers in the current volume indicate that visibility
may have been an important factor (co-)determining movement and path creation in
the landscape. However, the exact parameters involved, and how they influenced the
routes chosen, are largely within the realm of speculation. Computer-based modelling
can be seen as a sophisticated approach to speculation. It allows us to experiment with
the possible parameters involved, change the values and weights of each and inspect
the outcome to see whether it conforms to our initial expectations and if it in some way
fits the actual archaeological evidence. Most importantly, computer-based models are
explicit: since all assumptions are laid out in detail, we can study the consequences of
changing them, and the models can be replicated. It is through modelling that different
scenarios can be explored and compared to real-world outcomes. Computer-based models
are therefore in essence heuristic tools that can help to develop theory and interpretation.
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