Talk presented at AIUCD 2017 Conference (Rome, 26-28 January 2017).

1. (BIG) DATA SCIENCE AND HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES:
A METHODOLOGICAL, TECHNOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL CHALLENGE
Claudio Cortese
(claudio.cortese@4science.it)

2. The BIG DATA age

3. No more theories?
No more hypothesis?
No more models?
Data speak for themselves?
A new scientific paradigm ?

4. Certainly new opportunities…
Source:http://bouache.com/blog/big-data/

5. …also for historical archaeological studies
No data deluge, but…
…growing amount of data

6. Historians and archaeologists need a variety of
multidisciplinary data
Different in:
Typology
Format
Structure
Scale

7. Historians and archaeologists need a variety of
multidisciplinary data

8. They need Data Management and Data Science
Skills and Tools
Data Modeling
Data Mining
Text Mining
Predictive Modeling
Machine Learning
Visualization
Spatial Analysis
………………….
Source: Palmer, Shelly, Data Science for the C-Suite. New York: Digital Living Press, 2015. Print

9. …to face the complexity of historical and
archaeological data
In History and Archaeology most of the data
are collected by people (not measured
by instruments)
They are affected by individuals, place, time
The are fragmentary, partial, biased
Much information is not digitized yet
(and maybe it will never be)
Source: http://www.asianscientist.com/2016/07/print/body-as-a-source-of-big-data/

10. …but also to face the complexity of historical and
archaeological data
In History and Archaeology most of the data
are collected by people (not measured
by instrumens)
They are affected by indivuduals, place, time
The are fragmentary, partial, biased
Much information is not digitized yet
(and maybe it will never be)
Ceramica comune
Ceramica comune a
vernice rossa opaca
Ceramica comune
da cucina
Ceramica comune
da cucina a vernice
rossa interna
Ceramica comune
da mensa e da
dispensa
Ceramica comune
per la preparazione
Ceramica comune
varia
Ceramica fine
acroma
CERAMICHE
COMUNI

11. Putting data in context
Digital Data have to be analyzed together with all
contextual information, digital and not digital,
needed to answer research question, such as:
• (cultural, social, economic, technological…)
production context of a document/monument
• formation processes of the archaeological
record
• contextual associations at different levels and
scales (according to the different dimensions of
variations)
Source: https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/expbib/2006/terradefoc/10.pdf

12. Putting data in context
Digital Data have to be analyzed together with all
contextual information, digital and not digital,
needed to answer research question, such as:
• (cultural, social, economic, technological…)
production context of a document/monument
• formation processes of the archaeological
record
• contextual associations at different levels and
scales (according to the different dimensions of
variations)TECHNOLOGY
C
H
R
O
N
O
L
O
G
Y

13. A Digital Humanities approach is fundamental…
Such an approach, with its focus on relationships,
can help in identifying the dimensions of variation
(the CONTEXT)
It can help in analyzing primary sources as
evidences of a network of heterogeneous systems
which can be studied by means of them through a
global (holistic) and multidimensional analysis
Cfr. the philosophical notion of «dispositive» (M.
Foucault)
Technological Environmental Social
Cultural Economic
Source: Hodder I. 2016, Studies in Human-Thing Entanglement, p. 28

14. …but with solid domain theoretical and
methodological basis
We need historical data scientists and
archaeological data scientists
…if we want to fully exploit the potential of the
growing amount of data, avoiding the risk of de-
contextualization
With both Data Science and domain skills
Data Management and Data Science too have to
become fundamental topics in the standard
humanities background and not just be
considered «auxiliary disciplines»…
Source: https://www.hastac.org/groups/digital-archaeology-and-ancient-history

15. A Digital Humanities approach is educational
For modeling archaeological and
historical reasoning
For highligthing contextual relations, also
by means of quantitative methods
Digital Humanities have (or should have)
a major methodological impact on
historical and archaeological studies

16. Tools and systems for Data Driven Research
Data integration
Data sharing
Data analysis
Data preservation
External data upload

17. Virtual Research Environments (VREs)
VREs can fulfil the needs for sustainable and scalable environments, aimed at
managing data life cycle.
We need to bring VREs within the daily workflow of historians and archaeologists,
providing them with tools already available, for:
• modeling, visualising and analysing information, both in a qualitative and
quantitative way, as well as collaboratively working on it
• highlight the relationships between data at different scales
• explain their interpretations about the important dimensions of variation and
about the network of contextual relations in which historical and archaeological
sources are involved

18. • Applying data science methods taking into account the specificities of
their data and their theoretical and methodological background
• Working for creating tools to help to make easier and more
productive using such methods (even with a gradual and bottom-up
approach)
• Integrating Data Science in the background of young historians and
archaeologists
A methodological, technological and cultural
challenge for history and archaeology

19. • The goal is to approach these challenges integrating the traditional
hermeneutic and interpretative work of historical sciences with the
most effective techniques of data management and analysis
• In this way, I hope, there may be a fundamental change in the way
digital cultural heritage is experienced, analyzed and contributed to
by the whole scientific community
(Big) Data Science in a Digital Humanities Framework

20. claudio.cortese@4science.it
www.4science.it
Thank you! Questions?