Least Cost Analysis of Social Landscapes

Archaeological Case Studies

Inbunden, Engelska, 2012

629 kr

Slutsåld

Beskrivning

A growing number of archaeologists are applying Geographic Information Science (GIS) technologies to their research problems and questions. Advances in GIS and its use across disciplines allows for collaboration and enables archaeologists to ask ever more sophisticated questions and develop increasingly elaborate models on numerous aspects of past human behavior. Least cost analysis (LCA) is one such avenue of inquiry. While least cost studies are not new to the social sciences in general, LCA is relatively new to archaeology, and, until now, there has been no systematic exploration of its use within the field. This edited volume presents a series of case studies illustrating the intersection of archaeology and LCA modeling at the practical, methodological, and theoretical levels. Designed to be a guidebook for archaeologists interested in using LCA in their own research, it presents a wide cross-section of practical examples for both novices and experts. The contributors to the volume showcase the richness and diversity of LCA’s application to archaeological questions, demonstrate that even simple applications can be used to explore sophisticated research questions, and highlight the challenges that come with injecting geospatial technologies into the archaeological research process.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2012-01-31
Mått:178 x 254 x 23 mm
Vikt:690 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:304
Förlag:University of Utah Press,U.S.
ISBN:9781607811718

Utforska kategorier

Arkeologi inom Historia och arkeologi
Samhälle och kultur inom Samhälle och politik

Mer om författaren

Devin A. White received his PhD in anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He works at Integrity Applications Incorporated and is also a research associate at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.Sarah L. Surface-Evans received her PhD from Michigan State University and is a postdoctoral fellow in archae-ology at Central Michigan University.

Recensioner i media

“Very significant. Scholarly contributions like this book will move archaeology rapidly into a new paradigm, beyond processualism and post-processualism, and into an identity of its own.”—Douglas C. Comer, author of Ritual Ground: Bent’s Old Fort, World Formation, and the Annexation of the Southwest

Innehållsförteckning

1. An Introduction to the Least Cost Analysis of Social Landscapes Sarah L. Surface-Evans and Devin A. WhitePart 1: Traditional Applications of Existing Methods2. Using Least Cost Path Analysis to Reinterpret Late Upper Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherer Procurement Zones in Northern Spain John D. Rissetto3. Connecting the Dots: Least Cost Analysis, Paleogeography, and the Search for Paleoindian Sites in Southern Highland PeruKurt Rademaker, David A. Reid, and Gordon R. M. Bromley4. Wandering the Desert: Least Cost Path Modeling for Water Transport Trails in the Jornada Mogollon Region, Fort Bliss, South-Central New MexicoShaun M. Phillips and Phillip O. Leckman5. A Method for Multiple Cost-Surface Evaluation of a Model of Fort Ancient InteractionKevin C. Nolan and Robert A. CookPart 2: Nontraditional Applications of Existing Methods6. Walking and Watching: New Approaches to Reconstructing Cultural Landscapes through Space Syntax AnalysisErin J. Hudson7. Social Interaction at the Maya Site of CopÁn, Honduras: A Least Cost Approach to Configurational AnalysisHeather Richards-Rissetto8. Cost Catchments: A Least Cost Application for Modeling Hunter-Gatherer Land UseSarah L. Surface-EvansPart 3: Custom Applications and Emerging MethodsModeling the Consequences of Village Site Location: Least Cost Path Modeling in a Coupled GIS and Agent-Based Model of Village Agropastoralism in Eastern Spain Isaac I. Ullah and Sean M. BerginNo Crows Made Mounds: Do Cost-Distance Calculations of Travel Time Improve Our Understanding of Southern Appalachian Polity Size? Patrick LivingoodPrehistoric Trail Networks of the Western PapaguerÍa: A Multifaceted Least Cost Graph Theory Analysis Devin A. WhitePart 4: Constructive Criticisms and Theoretical DiscussionsSeven Solutions for Seven Problems with Least Cost Pathways Scott BrantingRealism, Reality, and Routes: Evaluating Cost-Surface and Cost-Path AlgorithmsJohn KantnerLeast Cost Pathway Analysis in Archaeological Research: Approaches and UtilityDavid G. AndersonList of Contributors Index