Harder – Better – Faster – Stronger? Roman Archaeology and the Challenge of ‘Big Data’.

Lawrence, Andrew Kenneth (2022). Harder – Better – Faster – Stronger? Roman Archaeology and the Challenge of ‘Big Data’. Theoretical roman archaeology journal(5), pp. 1-29. Open Library of Humanities 10.16995/traj.8881

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This paper deals with the integration of large data sets in Roman archaeological research. Starting with an an overview of the definition of the term and its use in the humanities and in Roman archaeology, the paper then traces the use of big data in four sub-fields of Roman archaeology: pottery studies/Samian ware, zooarchaeology, numismatics, and landscape archaeology. Finally, the sub-fields are compared, and recommendations are offered for future data-driven research. Three conclusions can be drawn. 1. The managing and understanding of ever-increasing datasets has been a dominant theme of the last 40–50 years in Roman archaeology but possibly has not been explicitly discussed. 2. Many databases are concerned with only one specific unit or artefact genre, thus reinforcing a certain ‘siloisation’. 3. Data-driven Roman archaeology has the potential to challenge existing narratives and even act as a corrective for traditional frameworks or narratives.

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