An Enchantment of Digital Archaeology : Raising the Dead with Agent-Based Models, Archaeogaming and Artificial Intelligence

The use of computation in archaeology is a kind of magic, a way of heightening the archaeological imagination. Agent-based modelling allows archaeologists to test the ‘just-so’ stories they tell about the past. It requires a formalization of the story so that it can be represented as a simulation; researchers are then able to explore the unintended consequences or emergent outcomes of stories about the past. Agent-based models are one end of a spectrum that, at the opposite side, ends with video games. This volume explores this spectrum in the context of Roman archaeology, addressing the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of a formalized approach to computation and archaeogaming. Contents Tables Acknowledgements Introduction CHAPTER 1 Imagine a Network CHAPTER 2 Reanimating Networks CHAPTER 3 Add Agents and Stir CHAPTER 4 Archaeogaming CHAPTER 5 The Fun Is in the Building CHAPTER 6 Artificial Intelligence Conclusion: Enchantment Is a Remembering Afterword: Guidelines for Developing Your Own Digital Archaeology Appendices Appendix A Tasks for Golems – Building an ABM Appendix B Pot Trade Model Code Appendix C Information Diffusion on a Network Appendix D Golems in the City References Index