On Complex Archaeologies

On Complex Archaeologies in Adaptive Behavior

Abstract

This article surveys a number of approaches in complex systems thinking and their relevance for applications in the field of archaeology. It focuses in particular on the fundamental role of social interactions and information transmission as constituent elements for the development of organizational complexity on a community level. Given the impossibility of direct observations of these constituent interactions and practices, it is then outlined how this theoretical model can be applied on the material remains found in the archaeological record. It is discussed how material surroundings – including architectural structures and material objects – are used to shape and structure social interactions and practices in various ways. It is shown how complex organizational structures develop through underlying mechanisms of change such as diversification, connectivity and standardization, and how these can be applied in archaeological case studies. The presented framework will thus show how structures of social organization and development of social complexity can be inferred from the archaeological record.

Publication
Adaptive Behavior
Dries Daems
Dries Daems
Digital Archaeologist

I am an archaeologist with a Ph.D. from University of Leuven. My research interests include social complexity, urbanism, artisanal production, and human-environment interactions through computational modeling and pottery studies.