Detecting Temporal Relations in Archaeology: Model and Algorithms

This paper addresses the question of finding the optimal temporal relation between two time-periods, in the presence of uncertainties regarding their boundaries (i.e. unknown or bounded start/end). It proposes a fast algorithmic solution, implementated in the Python language, and an archaeological case study related to the Early Bronze Age in the Levant. Open-source Python implementations of our data model and algorithms can be downloaded on the author’s GitHub repository. Our solution is also implemented in the latest version (v. 3) of the ChronoLog modelling tool ( https://chrono.ulb.be/ ).