Prospects and Problems in Applying GIS to the Study of Chalcolithic Archaeology in Southern Israel
This paper is a brief investigation of the problems and possibilities for GIS analysis in Chalcolithic archaeology in the Negev Desert of Israel. Although the region is rich in archaeological data for the Chalcolithic period, very little work has thus far been undertaken in terms of spatial analysis...
Authors: | ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
The University of Chicago Press
2008
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In: |
Bulletin of ASOR
Year: 2008, Volume: 352, Pages: 1-28 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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Summary: | This paper is a brief investigation of the problems and possibilities for GIS analysis in Chalcolithic archaeology in the Negev Desert of Israel. Although the region is rich in archaeological data for the Chalcolithic period, very little work has thus far been undertaken in terms of spatial analysis, the quantification of data, and the use of GIS. We shall show that the main problem with Chalcolithic studies in the Negev is a simple lack of quantified data, but that the prospects for GIS in terms of spatial analysis, the reconstruction of past landscapes, and the simulation of ancient environments are enormous. A simple analysis of settlement patterns using the data presently available for 403 Chalcolithic sites in the Negev is given as an example and shows that while access to farming land, water, grazing, and Mediterranean maquis was very important, settlement patterns were also predicated on factors of separation (in terms of both distance and visibility). |
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ISSN: | 2161-8062 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: American Schools of Oriental Research, Bulletin of ASOR
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1086/BASOR25609299 |