Context as Theory: Towards Unification of Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology

Abstract

Context in archaeology is a theory of inclusion, differing from context in computer science and other fields where context is a theory of exclusion or only part of a whole. Context is multidimensional, each layer of which is embedded and overlapping in multiple scales, constituting the dimensionality of archaeological research. Context as theory defines relevancy and theorizes GIS as a method that organizes this multidimensionality – ontologically based in the site, subsite, feature(s), assemblage(s), artefact(s), and the detail(s) of the artefact – literally, inclusively, everything! GIS layering and sequencing enable modelling and analysis of the multidimensionality of context. Geodatabase hyperlinks and multimedia within a GIS provide synergistic opportunity for alternative curation strategies and (re) connect detached research. A multidimensional, multiscalar perspective of context as theory crosscuts themes and archaeological settings to unify the seemingly fractured character of computer applications and quantitative methods in archaeology.