Large-scale investigations of Neolithic settlement dynamics in Central Germany based on machine learning analysis: A case study from the Weiße Elster river catchment.

ABSTRACT: The paper investigates potentials and challenges during the interpretation of prehistoric settlement dynamics based on large archaeological datasets. Exemplarily, this is carried out using a database of 1365 Neolithic sites in the Weiße Elster river catchment in Central Germany located between the southernmost part of the Northern German Plain and the Central Uplands. The recorded sites are systematically pre-processed with regard to their chronology, functional interpretation and spatial delineation. The quality of the dataset is reviewed by analyzing site distributions with respect to field surveys and modern land use. The Random Forests machine learning algorithm is used to examine the impact of terrain covariates on the depth of sites and pottery preservation. Neolithic settlement dyna

SUBMITTER: Miera JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9020700 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature