Computing the Past: Computational approaches to the dynamics of cultures and societies

Digitized datasets and novel computational methods open up new avenues for the study of the human past. Over the last few decades, the ambition to explore these new avenues became apparent in many SSH disciplines concerned by the dynamics of human cultures and societies. We have seen an emergence of new specialized subdisciplines, like computational archeology, digital history, or digital literary studies, to name but a few, with their own conferences, workshops, and publication venues. However, with the emergence of these new subdisciplines, it appears that disciplinary divisions still tend to hinder a better integration of knowledge.

The main ambition of this workshop is to help to overcome this limitation by offering an opportunity for researchers from different disciplines concerned with the human past to meet together around one table. We believe that the shared interest in computational methods and digital datasets is an ideal precondition for a stimulating conversation which could lead to an interdisciplinary cross-fertilization.

The workshop pays special attention to the historical environment of the ancient Mediterranean (AM). As a widely studied historical environment, AM is also an area in which the computational approaches are thriving across numerous subdisciplines. The event will culminate in a panel discussion with several experts on the history of AM – including the keynote speakers – with the title “Computing the Ancient Mediterranean”. We hope that the discussion will help us to identify the most important issues impeding the study of the past in the digital age in general.