WORKSHOPS

From Points to Patterns: Spatial Analysis in Bioarchaeology

Workshop Convenor:

Stacey Ward

School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

stacey.ward@anu.edu.au

Spatial relationships are an integral part of archaeology, where evidence of the past is routinely situated in time and space through careful excavation, recording, and analysis. Despite the ubiquity of spatial data in archaeology, space has traditionally been viewed as a neutral ‘void’, in which human lives are experienced. Increased engagement with social theory and humanist ways of thinking have now highlighted that space is an active agent that both shapes, and is shaped by, human behaviour, and that spatial patterning in archaeological materials can provide a proxy for past sociocultural processes. Analysis and interpretation of spatial data represent a powerful, but currently underused, approach for identifying and understanding these processes. This hands-on practical workshop aims to provide participants with a foundation in spatial thinking and the use of spatial data in bioarchaeology.

The workshop comprises three main parts:

attendees will be introduced to spatial thinking through authentic case study examples and interactive problem-solving activities.
attendees will learn major concepts, assumptions, and considerations of spatial analysis, why and when to use spatial analysis, how to critically assess the quality of spatial data and analyses, and what ‘wicked problems’ spatial analyses can be used to explore in bioarchaeology.
attendees will be guided through a short practical exercise, where they will learn how to analyse and interpret archaeological and skeletal data using free, open-access software. It is hoped that this workshop will help to develop a spatial community of practice in the Indo-Pacific region and inspire a new wave of researchers to develop spatially grounded understandings of the ancient past.

Required equipment

Please bring your own laptop computers.

To register

Please email Stacey Ward, stacey.ward@anu.edu.au.

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