Is Now a Good Time? Bridging Past and Present with Models and Modeling
0John T. Murphy
Science conceived as a social and historical process is shaped by contingent factors that include, inter alia: theoretical frameworks within which research takes place; tools, including computational power and software; data available in different forms; a larger social milieu that directs the lines of inquiry that can be pursued (often enforced by funding, etc.); and institutional and professional structures that can impose additional constraints. The rise of computational models and modeling in archaeology can be viewed through this lens, and its trajectory over the past several decades inspected for the ways that these currents have buoyed and swept it. The ways in which it is today contributing to new areas of study or even disciplines (e.g. 'archaeohydrology') provide examples for further inquiry. The use of models and modeling to bring data and insights about archaeological contexts to present-day issues can also be considered in this light: What roles does modeling play in doing this? What can it be doing, given the current states of theory, tools, and data that it exists within right now? Recent case studies in which the author(s) have been involved will be presented in which models and modeling have been applied to archaeological and contemporary settings; these cross urban and regional settings and specifically consider issues of sustainability, resilience, risk, and vulnerability. A recent workshop sponsored by iHOPE and hosted at SESYNC, with an explicit focus on applying lessons from two areas (Maya and Mesopotamia), will be used as an entry to the discussion.