Tools for Constructing Chronologies. Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries 177

Tools for Constructing Chronologies focuses on ways of getting more out of existing chronological data by careful analysis. It surveys a range of cutting edge methods in chronology construction and seeks to enable cross-disciplinary fertilisation of ideas. The specially invited papers cover a range of timescales, from the perspectives of a number of disciplines. The methods used range from complex statistical treatments, to (non-statistical) considerations of how to systematically represent relative dating information. Each chapter can be read alone, but they are also carefully cross-referenced. The editors' introductory essay provides a cross-disciplinary overview of the state of chronology construction methods, and highlights the links between them. This book will appeal to a wide range of researchers, scientists and graduate students using chronologies in their work; from applied statisticians to archaeologists, geologists and paleontologists, to those working in bioinformatics and chronometry. From the reviews: Here's a good book on 'dating' that, luckily, won't find its way to the self-help section of your local bookstore! Journal of the American Statistical Association, December 2005 In summary, Bayesian methods are already seen by many as an essential tool to aid in formal chronology building in archaeology. At present, most researchers use packages like OxGal and BGal to make use of such tools and typically see them as radiocarbon calibration tools (indeed both are described as such on their own WWW welcome pages). On reflection, however, I think that it is clear that these packages offer more than just calibration, they are modest Bayesian chronological data interpretation environments. Given this observation, and the fact that the current tools are built on a sound foundation offlexible and scalable theory,I think that we are in a good position to move towards fully integrated tools for Bayesian chronology building. All of the current and planned research projects outlined above will contribute to the extension of the framework in one way or another. Since such work is motivated by a desire to provide practical solutions to real, current and pressing issues associated with chronology building, I feel sure that we can look forward to many more years of fast moving, productive and practical research in Bayesian chronology building. References Ammerman, A. J. and Cavalli-Sforza, 1. L. (1971). Measurement of the rate of spread of early farming in Europe. Man, 6, 674-688. Ammerman, A. J. and Cavalli-Sforza, 1. L. (1984). The Neolithic transition and the genetics of populations in Europe. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Anderson, A., Allingham, B. and Smith, I. (1996a). In summary, Bayesian methods are already seen by many as an essential tool to aid in formal chronology building in archaeology. At present, most researchers use packages like OxGal and BGal to make use of such tools and typically see them as radiocarbon calibration tools (indeed both are described as such on their own WWW welcome pages). On reflection, however, I think that it is clear that these packages offer more than just calibration, they are modest Bayesian chronological data interpretation environments. Given this observation, and the fact that the current tools are built on a sound foundation offlexible and scalable theory, I think that we are in a good position to move towards fully integrated tools for Bayesian chronology building. All of the current and planned research projects outlined above will contribute to the extension of the framework in one way or another. Since such work is motivated by a desire to provide practical solutions to real, current and pressing issues associated with chronology building, I feel sure that we can look forward to many more years of fast moving, productive and practical research in Bayesian chronology building. References Ammerman, A.J. and Cavalli-Sforza, 1. L. (1971). Measurement of the rate of spread of early farming in Europe. Man, 6, 674-688. Ammerman, A.J. and Cavalli-Sforza, 1. L. (1984). The Neolithic transition and the genetics of populations in Europe. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Anderson, A., Allingham, B. and Smith, I. (1996a) Title ......Page 4 Preface: Towards Integrated Thinking in Chronology Building ......Page 6 CONTENTS ......Page 16 List of Contributors ......Page 18 1. Bayesian Chronological Data Interpretation: Where Now? ......Page 21 2. Pragmatic Bayesians: a Decade of Integrating Radiocarbon Dates into Chronological Models ......Page 45 3. Bayesian Inference of Calibration Curves: Application to Archaeomagnetism ......Page 62 4. The Synchronization of Civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean in the Second Millennium BC: Natural Science Dating Attempts ......Page 102 5. Applications of Formal Model Choice to Archaeological Chronology Building ......Page 130 6. Complicated Relations and Blind Dating: Formal Analysis of Relative Chronological Structures ......Page 147 7. Genealogies from Time-Stamped Sequence Data ......Page 166 8. Tephrochronology and its Application to Late Quaternary Environmental Reconstruction, with Special Reference to the North Atlantic Islands ......Page 189 9. Constructing Chronologies of Sea-Level Change from Salt-Marsh Sediments ......Page 205 10. A Framework for Analysing Fossil Record Data......Page 228 11. Taking Bayes Beyond Radiocarbon: Bayesian Approaches to Some Other Chronometric Method ......Page 246 Index ......Page 264 Tools for Constructing Chronologies focuses on ways of getting more out of existing chronological data by careful analysis. It surveys a range of cutting edge methods in chronology construction and seeks to enable cross-disciplinary fertilisation of ideas. The specially invited papers cover a range of timescales, from the perspectives of a number of disciplines. The methods used range from complex statistical treatments, to (non-statistical) considerations of how to systematically represent relative dating information. Each chapter can be read alone, but they are also carefully cross-referenced. The editors' introductory essay provides a cross-disciplinary overview of the state of chronology construction methods, and highlights the links between them. This book will appeal to a wide range of researchers, scientists and graduate students using chronologies in their work; from applied statisticians to archaeologists, geologists and paleontologists, to those working in bioinformatics and chronometry. From the reviews: "Here's a good book on 'dating' that, luckily, won't find its way to the self-help section of your local bookstore!" Journal of the American Statistical Association, December 2005 "Tools for Constructing Chronologies focuses on ways of getting more out of existing chronological data by careful analysis. It surveys a range of cutting edge methods in chronology construction and seeks to enable cross-disciplinary fertilisation of ideas." "The specially invited papers cover a range of timescales, from the perspectives of a number of disciplines. The methods used range from complex statistical treatments to (non-statistical) considerations of how to systematically represent relative dating information. Each chapter can be read alone, but they are also carefully cross-referenced. The editors' introductory essay provides a cross-disciplinary overview of the state of chronology construction methods, and highlights the links between them." "This book will appeal to a wide range of researchers, scientists and graduate students using chronologies in their work; from Applied Statisticians to Archaeologists, Geologists and Paleontologists, to those working in Bioinformatics and Chronometry."--Jacket The first book to group together and analyze all the chronology construction methods used in different disciplines, this book will appeal to a wide range of researchers, scientists and graduate students using chronologies in their work; from applied statisticians to archaeologists, geologists and paleontologists, to those working in bioinformatics and chronometry. It is truly interdisciplinary and designed to enable cross fertilization of techniques.