Spatiotemporal reconstruction of ancient road networks through sequential cost-benefit analysis.

ABSTRACT: The construction of ancient road networks spanned generations and exhibits temporal path dependence that is not fully captured by established network formation models that are used to support archaeological reasoning. We introduce an evolutionary model that captures explicitly the sequential nature of road network formation: A central feature is that connections are added successively and according to an optimal cost-benefit trade-off with respect to existing connections. In this model, the network topology emerges rapidly from early decisions, a trait that makes it possible to identify plausible road construction orders in practice. Based on this observation we develop a method to compress the search space of path-dependent optimization problems. We use this method to show that the model'

SUBMITTER: Stahlberg MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9944230 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature