Abstract

A Geocomputational Strategy for the Archaeological Analysis of Gallinazo-Mochica Interrelationships
Track: Archaeology
Authors: Kayeleigh Sharp

Making use of the analytical capacities of ArcGIS, this work focuses on design and implementation of algorithmic techniques for the analysis of complex multivariate archaeological data. Traditional archaeological research has resulted in the formation of diverse perspectives on the independence, interrelatedness, or antecedence of Gallinazo and Mochica groups who concurrently and allopatrically inhabited Peru's north coast during the first millennium of the Common Era, leaving many issues unresolved. Preliminary investigations concerning these groups have resulted in the development of an object-oriented framework, a geodatabase, and rule-based geometric network algorithms to carry out semi-automated testing of spatial patterning and concerns over variability among architectural configurations, access routes and activity patterns, and diverse material assemblages once data collection is complete. The application of newly available and high-powered geocomputational strategies offers a clear methodological advantage over traditional spatial analysis that have proven insufficient for understanding the complexities of data observed in archaeological contexts.