Archaeological ABM at Cologne: from concept to application

Materials for the session organized by the CoDArchLab in the Institute of Archaeology at University of Cologne (20/6/2022).

This exercise introduces the basic concepts and workflow of Agent-based modelling (ABM), as it is used in archaeology. More specifically, it covers the prototyping of a conceptual model into a working simulation model, the 'refactoring' of code (cleaning, restructuring, optimizing), the re-use of published model parts and algorithms, the exploration of alternative designs, and the use of geographic, climatic and archaeological data to apply the model to a specific case study. The tutorial offers implementation examples of path cost analysis, hydrological and land productivity modelling, network dynamics, and cultural evolution.

This tutorial uses NetLogo, a flexible well-established modelling platform known for its relatively low-level entry requirements in terms of programming experience. It has been particularly used in social sciences and ecology for research and educational purposes.