New computer predictive model is useful in identifying ancient hunter-gatherer sites

Researchers looking to identify some of the most difficult finds in archeology, including sites used by nomadic hunter-gatherer communities, are using technology to help in the search.

Archeologists at the Max Planck Institute and Simon Fraser University are using a computer model to assess the likelihood of well-sought sites. Their work has just been published in a journal.

Preserving archeological sites from destruction ensures that history is not lost and is important for communities that did not use written records, but before sites can be protected and studied, they must first be found, according to the interim director.

The Locally-Adaptive Model of Archeological Potential (LAMAP) is a model that considers distributions of values for landscape variables around known sites.

LAMAP uses landscape data to estimate the archeological potential of land that has not been examined by archeologists. The method was demonstrated on large, permanently occupied sites.

Mark Collard, an archeology professor at the SFU, suggested that Rondeau connect with Carleton, an experienced underwater archeologist.

Those sites were occupied when sea levels were much lower. They will help him to identify the campsites of hunter-gatherers in the distant past.

The Tanana Valley in Alaska has a rich record of hunter-gatherer sites dating back to the last Ice Age. The model with data about the landscape around 90 known sites was randomly selected from the State of Alaska's Heritage Database.

The pair returned to the database to evaluate their predictions after they predicted which parts of the landscape had the highest potential for producing more sites. The areas that LAMAP identified as high potential were found to contain many of the remaining sites in the database.

The comparison of millions of data points from the 7,000-square-kilometrere study area needed significant computing power. The deep waters off the B.C. coast will be the next place where Rondeau will apply what he has learned in Alaska.

More information: Rob Rondeau et al, Does the Locally-Adaptive Model of Archaeological Potential (LAMAP) work for hunter-gatherer sites? A test using data from the Tanana Valley, Alaska, PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265597 Journal information: PLoS ONE Citation: New computer predictive model is useful in identifying ancient hunter-gatherer sites (2022, March 17) retrieved 17 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-ancient-hunter-gatherer-sites.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.