Overview: 

Agent-based modeling (ABM) was initially applied in fields such as social science, political science, and ecology to simulate interactions among different types of agents over time, providing insights into various social structures. Network science (NS) is a method for studying relationships between interconnected entities that form a network. It has been widely used in social sciences, biology, ecology, economics, computer science, and many other disciplines. Over time, ABM and NS have also been adopted in archaeology, allowing researchers to simulate interactions between agents and examine the social structures these interactions form. This helps in understanding the behavior and dynamics of past human societies.

This course serves as an introductory overview of the basic concepts of agent-based modeling and network analysis, with a focus on their applications in archaeology. Over the next three days, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of ABM and NS, along with the foundational skills needed to apply these methods in archaeological research.

Objectives: 

• Introduce participants to ABM and NS.
• Familiarize participants with the application of ABM and NS in archaeology.
• Provide hands-on experience using software such as NetLogo to perform basic ABM tasks, including parameter adjustment and data analysis.
• Inspire participants to explore possibilities for incorporating ABM and NS into their own research.

Content: 

Introduction to modeling: What is modeling, what is it for?
Introduction to agent-based modeling: What is an agent, what do they represent, how do you choose the right scale?
Modeling behaviors: Tutorial on algorithms, how to model one behavior in different ways?
NetLogo: First steps in NetLogo, hands-on tutorials in NetLogo.
Exercises: Build your own archaeological simulation, analyzing simulation results
Introduction to networks: What is archaeological network research?
Tutorial: Learn network data creation, network representation, and analysis.

Instructors: 

Dr. Iza Romanowska is an Associate Professor at the Social Resilience Lab, Center for Humanities Computing, Aarhus University. Her research interests span a wide range of fields, including agent-based modeling, simulation, complexity science, data science, and open science. Her work covers topics such as urban resilience, computational social science, digital humanities, cultural evolution, and human movement. Dr. Romanowska has published extensively on agent-based modeling in archaeology and is one of the authors of the book Agent-Based Modeling for Archaeology: Simulating the Complexity of Societies. She is passionate about promoting and teaching agent-based modeling in archaeology, aiming to introduce more archaeologists to these concepts and help them apply them in their research.

Dr. Tom Brughmans is an Associate Professor at Aarhus University’s Department of History and Classical Studies, and the Social Resilience Lab. His research focuses on studying Roman economic and urban phenomena using computational methods such as network science, agent-based modeling, and geographical information systems. He has published extensively on archaeological network research and is one of the authors of the Cambridge Manual of Network Science in Archaeology and of The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Network Research.

Suggested Audience

The workshop is designed for archaeologists at all career stages, including master’s students, Ph.D. candidates, and postdoctoral researchers, who are interested in incorporating agent-based modeling and network science into their archaeological research.

Registration

Registration for this workshop entails a fee, with students being charged 150€ and researchers 200€. These fees contribute towards facilitating a conducive and enriching learning environment. All travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs are to be borne by the participants.

Interested individuals are required to fill in the form below, including a CV, by the deadline of the 7th of December 2024. In the event that we receive more than 25 applications, a selection process will ensue. Selected participants will be extended an invitation, while others will be placed on a waiting list, to be considered should spots become available.

Register here

Timeline

Deadline for application: 7th December 2024, 23:59 (WET)
Notification of acceptance and final program: 15th December 2024
Start of the course: 12-14th of February 2025, 9AM.

For inquiries or more information, please contact Li Li at lli@ualg.pt.