Space, Time and Space-Time. Where, When and How should we use them? Considerations for archaeological

research questions involving spatio-temporal phenomena and the conceptual relationships between them.

by

Keith May @Keith_May

Incorporating work by

Paul Cripps, Prof Doug Tudhope, Ceri Binding Faculty of Advanced Technology

University of South Wales

Archaeology Data in 4 Dimensions

X, Y, Z, Time

Segontium Section Is a 2D representation of 4D Events

With thanks

to Mortimer Wheeler

Archaeological Biographies of 'sites'

• Megalithic sites with continuity to NE, BA, IA, RM, Med, and Current periods

• Difference between spatio-temporal continuity of archaeological features and the distinct 'biography' of events that took place at certain periods in the past within certain spatial boundaries represented by the remains of those features that we find in the present

La Hougue Bie - Jersey

CC0 Wikipedia

Simplified Conceptual Model for Interoperability between archaeological records

FindsContexts

are deposited in

Stratigraphic

Units

Groups Samples

are taken from

Phases

Dates/ TimespansPeriods

are within

Took Place at

Spatial Coordinates

are within

Identifies

Identifies

Identifies

date

date

Investigations

dateSpatio-Temporal Relations

Research Objectives

Inform

Places

Harris Matrix example• Model common ‘core’ of Archaeological processes

• Principle archaeological concepts modelled as CRM entities & relationships

• Limited degree of minute detail

• Matrix holds stratigraphic relationships

• N.B. Distinguishing positive Deposits from negative Cuts

Stratigraphic relationships are spatio-temporal

• Musvario stratigraphy - based on interpreting the spatio- temporal sequencing of the order that the mosaic tiles 'must' have been placed in the design

• Stratigraphic relations seen in alterations to a brick wall or floor - n.b. it is not strictly following 'Law of superimposition'

Physical and Stratigraphic Relationships

crmeh:EHE0007.Context

crmeh:EHE1001ContextEvent

Below, Above,

Same As

crm:P7 Took Place at

crm:E53.Place crm:E5.Event

rdfs:subClassOf

BondedWith, ButtedBy,

Butts, Jointed

ConsistsOf, CutBy,

DividedInto, DivisionOf,

FillOf, PartOf, Within

Physical relationships Stratigraphic relationships

crm:E63.BeginningofExistence

rdfs:subClassOf

crm:P7 Took Place at

CRMarchaeo:A4.Stratigraphic Genesis Event

Contains, Cut By, Cuts,

Filled By

Negative Contexts E.g. Cut

Positive Contexts E.g. Deposits, Walls, etc

rdfs:subClassOf

Spatial data items identified from STELLAR Linked Data preparations

• Context – Context_location

• Sample -Sample Location

• Finds – some precise geo data present in many recording systems, & finds are directly related to the context they derive from which does have spatial attributes.

• Group – Group_location – this will be more challenging as it gets its spatial information from several contexts

• Investigation – investigation_location

• Phase – None directly present but spatial extents can be shown by relationships to Group info

• Research Objectives – Broad Place names e.g. Explore the extent of the Mesolithic remains at Starr Carr, Yorkshire

CRMEH_FINDSfind_id

find_note

find_type

find_type_uri

find_material

find_material_uri

within_context_id

production_period

within_investigation_id

language

CRMEH_CONTEXTScontext_id

context_note

context_type

context_type_uri

context_period

context_location

within_context_id

within_group_id

within_investigation_id

strat_lower_id

strat_equal_id

language

CRMEH_INVESTIGATION_PROJECTS

investigation_id

investigation_description

investigation_type

investigation_type_uri

investigation_timespan

Investigation_location

CRMEH_SAMPLES

sample_id

sample_note

sample_type

sample_type_uri

within_context_id

within_group_id

within_investigation_id

language

CRMEH_SAMPLES_MEASUREMENTS

sample_id

measurement_type

measurement_type_uri

measurement_unit

measurement_unit_id

measurement_unit_uri

measurement_value

CRMEH_GROUPS

group_id

group_note

group_type

group_type_uri

group_location

group_period

within_group_id

within_investigation_id

language

CRMEH_OBJECTIVES

objective_id

objective_note

investigation_id

project_design

addressed_by_id

shape_subprogramme

nhpp

CRMEH_PHASE

phase_id

phase_name

phase_type

phase_note

preliminary_eyear/lyear

Linked Data Templates

• Context – Context_location

• Sample - Sample location

• Group - Group location

• ?Phase - derived from Group

• Investigation Location

Semantic Technologies - STELLAR Template fields from CRM-EH

• Stratigraphic relationships too

Other Historic Environment geo-spatial data.

• Geophysics Raster plots – georeference

• CAD drawings – e.g. Building elevations

• Lidar and 3d point cloud ?time values

• Marine remote sensing data? Sonar? 3D point clouds

• Photography - raster georeference e.g. Aerial photos

Region Connection Calculus - Spatial Relationship Axioms

• disconnected (DC)

• externally connected (EC)

• equal (EQ)

• partially overlapping (PO)

• tangential proper part (TPP)

• tangential proper part inverse (TPPi)

• non-tangential proper part (NTPP)

• non-tangential proper part inverse (NTPPi)

What about the Temporal?

• Can use combinations of Dates & Periods

• Issue - Periods are Spatio-temporal e.g. "Roman"

• Allen operators - temporal relationships

• CIDOC CRM Allen operators

• How to visualize Continuity better?

Allen Temporal Operators & Stratigraphic relations

• P120: occurs before  (occurs after)

• P114: is equal in time to

• P115: finishes (is finished by)

• P116: starts (is started by)

• P117: occurs during (includes)

• P118: overlaps in time with (is overlapped in time by)

• P119: meets in time with  (is met in time by)

Stratigraphically means "Directly" Below/Before Above/After

But not necessarily Meets in time

Continuity of Existence of Archaeological Features G. Lucas

• Absolute or Relative Chronologies

• Excavation data deals in Relative Chronology e.g. Stratigraphy

• Then tries to hang the Relative chronology on an Absolute Chronological 'hook'

Hypothetical Stratigraphic Sequence represented as Spatio-Temporal Events

With thanks to Paul Cripps

Spatio-Temporal Relationships Stratigraphy & Events

• CRM Events represent Spatio-temporal archaeological phenomena

• Phases reflect Spatio-temporal relationships in archaeological record

• Stratigraphically above/after & below/before ?

• Space-Time volumes

Conceptual Reference Model is also a

Conceptual Reference MatrixBut do we need a new way to visualise all the complexity of those relationships ? Over and above Harris Matrix which are working tools which are not easily published and archived? A section drawing is one way Plans and a plan matrix is another But need to incorporate the semantic complexity of all the spatio-temporal information within those records

STAR project cross-searching & Browse Interface

Internet Archaeology Vol 30 http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue30/tudhope_index.html

Conclusions & Challenges

• Need to consider more explicit ways of expressing spatio-temporal relations within archaeological records

• Need new ways to visualise the complexity of the spatio-temporal relations

• Semantic technologies offer some possibilities, but currently it is simpler for Temporal relations than Spatial....

• but can also help in conceptualising the Spatio-Temporal

Gavin Lucas. "The Archaeology of Time" CIDOC CRM. http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/ Tudhope, May, Binding, Vlachidis. "Connecting Archaeological Data and Grey Literature via Semantic Cross Search" - Internet Archaeology Vol 30

Contact: Keith.May@english-heritage.org.uk

@Keith_May

References