Complexity Science for the Study of the Human Past

The study of past complex systems using approaches from complexity science is an emerging field in need of clear research priorities and research resources. How can the long-term perspective of the historical disciplines enhance our understanding of the emergence and future development of present-day complex systems? What are the challenges to using fragmentary archaeological and historical sources in simulation and network methods?

Bringing together archaeologists and complexity scientists who have worked with archaeological data, this working group will aim to explore many of these above questions. Specifically deploying expertise in agent-based modeling and network science, we will aim to address the fragmentary nature of the past and how complex adaptive systems can help to address challenges.

This working group’s activities will explore these kinds of potential contributions and challenges, through interdisciplinary debate and collaborative writing of discussion papers that set out a much-needed research agenda for the field.