Archaeological Spatial Modelling. A case Study from Beagle Channel (Argentina).

J. A. BARCELÓ; E. L. PIANA; D. R. MARTINIONI

Archaeological Informatics: Pushing the Envelope - CAA2001 Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology

Archaeopress

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2002; p. 351 - 360

ABSTRACT: Social actions are always performed in locations intrinsically better or worse for some purpose, because of their position relative to another location used for any other action or for the reproduction of the same action. The objective is to analyse how a social action varies from one location to another . The analysis then pretends to examine if the characteristics in one location have any relationship with those of a neighbouring location. This goal can be made possible through the definition of a general model of spatial dependence. In other words, the main objective of spatial analysis should be the spatial correlation of different social actions: how the spatial distribution of an action has an influence over the spatial distribution of other action(s). This paper discusses the probabilistic nature of spatial causality. Once it is known whether social actions at neighbouring locations are similar or not, it can be explained why the location of social actions are homogeneous or heterogeneous in the area defined by the performance of that actions. That means that spatial causality can be studied in terms of the influence landscape features have over the location of social action or the influence the location of social action has on landscape features. The discussion is presented with the help of an intensive and extended archaeological survey of shell-middens, ranging from 6000 14C years B.P. from the northern coast of Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego (Argentina): the uttermost part of the world.