Agent-Based Modeling for Archaeologists
Agent-Based Modeling for Archaeologists
Date: You can do this course online at your own pace, whenever you want!
Location: Preferably at your own place, stay in, stay safe!
Credits: 1-2 ECT
Imagine being able to go back in time and look at the daily lives of people in the past. Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) makes something like this virtually possible by simulating agents and how they interact. This allows us not only to understand how societies change but also to investigate how individual choices influence significant events in history.
What is ABM?
Agent-Based Modeling is a powerful way to simulate complex systems by looking at virtual actors we call ‘agents.’ These agents are given rules and actions to follow. Based on these rules and actions, the agents/actors will interact with each other and their environment. We mimic these interactions at a very detailed level in what we call a ‘model’. The model is a simplified representation of reality, it is not precisely the same as real life. Unlike conventional models that often oversee the entire picture, ABM starts with the actors and looks at how they behave and interact with each other.
The course
In this online course you will be introduced to Agent-Based Modeling and its application in archaeological research. There are five tutorials in total, which guide you through various different aspects of building agent-based models and provide a basis for incorporating this method within your own research.
To follow the tutorials, please follow this link. For more information about ABM or the ABMA project, or to find further educational resources, please visit the ABMA website.
The ABMA project was an international collaboration funded by Erasmus+. The collaboration involved Aarhus University, Leiden University, Landward Research, and Saxion University of Applied Sciences. The goal of the project was to create Open Educational Resources (OERs) and accompanying materials where participants learn to create simulations using Agent-Based Modeling.
For credits:
ARCHON members can receive 1 ECTS for completing tutorials 1 (“Introduction to ABM”), 2 (“Beginning with NetLogo”), and 5 (“How to Model”), or 2 ECTS for completing all five tutorials, and handing in a critical reflection afterward (max. 500 words). Please also provide screenshots showing the completed tutorials (a checkmark should appear next to each ‘lesson’ once you’ve completed it). Please send the report and screenshots to secretary@archonline.nl.
