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What Do the Patterns Mean? Archaeological Distributions and Bias in Survey Data

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Digital Methods and Remote Sensing in Archaeology

Abstract

This paper explores aspects of the many factors that produce patterning in archaeological survey data, focussing on sources of bias that include topography, land use and environment; survey strategies and the roles of individuals; the problems of recognition, and those inherent in classifications and terminology; and settlement and land use histories. Examples of how such factors can be identified are given, illustrating the importance of a ‘source-critical’ approach to assessing the representativity of survey data.

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Acknowledgments

Aspects of this paper were presented at ‘MIND THE GAP—Absence, invisibility and emptiness in the interpretation of archaeological and landscape evidence’, an international seminar of the ArchaeoLandscapes Europe project,Footnote 1 organised by Stefano Campana, Chris Musson and Dominic Powesland at the Certosa di Pontignano, Siena, 22–24 April 2013. See also Cowley (2013, 2015) for further discussion of these topics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aerial Survey & Remote Sensing, Historic Environment Scotland, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 9NX, UK

    David C. Cowley

  2. Department of Archaeology, Ghent University, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 35—Ufo, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    David C. Cowley

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  1. David C. Cowley
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Correspondence to David C. Cowley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Duke University Dept of Classical Studies, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Maurizio Forte

  2. Dept. of Archaeology & Art History, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Stefano Campana

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Cowley, D.C. (2016). What Do the Patterns Mean? Archaeological Distributions and Bias in Survey Data. In: Forte, M., Campana, S. (eds) Digital Methods and Remote Sensing in Archaeology. Quantitative Methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40658-9_7

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