Rethinking the role of Agent-Based Modeling in archaeology

• Agent-Based Modeling in archaeology has transformative potential.
• We assess the state of integration of Agent-Based Modeling into prevailing archaeological goals.
• A practical reference and glossary is provided for archaeologists considering Agent-Based Modeling.
• Model evaluation is critical to expanding the use of Agent-Based Modeling in archaeology.
• An example is provided of critical thinking possible with social theory.

Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) represents a methodology with significant potential for altering archaeological analytical practice. The continued growth in the number of publications that use ABM provides evidence for the significance of this emerging approach. However, the scope of the research topics investigated has not increased accordingly. A consensus exists among ABM practitioners, that once generally accepted by the field, ABM can make revolutionary advances within the overall archaeological research paradigm. Unresolved concerns within the archaeological community center on whether ABMs are sufficiently grounded in empirical data, are aligned with theoretical trajectories, and on the difficult task of mastering the computational systems. It is worth exploring these aspects of the disjuncture between the mainstream and ABM practitioners for two reasons – to frame a discussion of qualities of ABM that make it transformative and to provide guidelines for broadening ABM’s applicability. With capacity-building in mind, offered here is a practical reference for the non-practitioner archaeologist considering ABM. A glossary is included of key terms used in the text to describe ABM methods and theory.

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