6533b82cfe1ef96bd1290703

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Observations of land use transformations during the Neolithic using exploratory spatial data analysis: contributions and limitations

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International audience; The settlement pattern analysis in archaeology implies some methodological questions. In this paper, we question some issues about the use of geostatistical methods for the observation of land use transformations during the Neolithic. We have developed two examples in Burgundy (France): the first one on a regional scale and the second one on a micro-regional scale. Using different ESDA approaches (Ripley’K function, Nearest Neighbour Distance, Kernel Density Estimation), we would like to underline what the methodological and archaeological contributions and their limits are. Both experiences point out that the results obtained depend not only on the analytical scale, but also on the quality and the quantity of the studied data. The contribution of this paper is to prove that scale, quality and quantity, are three essential parameters for the “reflexive approach” when using spatial statistics in landscape problems.