Computer technology plus archaeology equals enhanced knowledge of the past

[Adsos Letter]

Source: Science Centric

Our knowledge of life in the Mediterranean region between 3500 and 2000 years ago has been enhanced by a combination of archaeological and computer technologies, as Professor Lin Foxhall will reveal at a public lecture at the University of Leicester on Tuesday 10th March.

How do we gather knowledge about how societies came to operate the way they do? And, how can this help us address pressing questions and issues we face today? We can't travel in time and observe how complex networks evolved, but we can collect, organise and interpret the remains of ancient networks.

Professor Foxhall will explain how, by combining archaeology, archaeological science and computer science, archaeologists can investigate networks across and beyond the Mediterranean region, encompassing Greek, Punic and other peoples, from the late bronze age through classical times (c. 1500 - c. 200 BCE).

She commented: 'We focus on crafts-people, asking how and why traditions, techniques and technologies changed and crossed cultural boundaries. By analysing a wide range of objects, from cooking pots and coins to wall paintings and loom weights, using both archaeological methodologies and a range of scientific techniques, we can discover how artefacts were made, who used them, and where they came from and travelled to. We will apply our understanding of knowledge transfer in antiquity to propose new computing paradigms.'

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