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SUMMARY:Simulation modelling as a method to explain cultural transmission 
 processes using sparse data: a case study from the Aegean Bronze Age looki
 ng at the transmission of pottery-making technologies. - Christina Alam (U
 niversity College London)
DTSTART:20240304T160000Z
DTEND:20240304T170000Z
UID:TALK212572@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:115768
DESCRIPTION:Simulation modelling is a powerful method for understanding th
 e causal factors behind dynamic transmission processes in the past and has
  seen widespread application in archaeology\, particularly in subfields wi
 th an established theoretical framework (e.g.\, evolutionary archaeology) 
 and a tradition of systematic quantification. Typically\, the assumptions 
 of the simulation are informed by theory\, and quantitative data are used 
 to inform the selection of parameter ranges/values and to compare the empi
 rical record to the outcomes of the simulated process.\nWhile these charac
 teristics are necessary to develop simulation models producing detailed ex
 planations of a phenomenon\, they do not hold in all academic traditions. 
 In Aegean archaeology\, explanations are often produced by verbal models t
 hat are not quantitatively compared to the material record\, and quantitat
 ive data are often published in a non-standardised manner which impedes la
 rge-scale comparisons across sites and regions.\nIn this talk\, I will dis
 cuss ways to overcome these challenges and show that\, even with sparse da
 ta\, it is still possible to build simulation models which produce insight
 s that are hard to achieve with other methods using examples from a simula
 tion-based study on the cultural transmission of pottery-making technologi
 es in the Bronze Age Aegean.\n
LOCATION:McDonald Institute Seminar Room\, Department of Archaeology\, Dow
 ning Site
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