ChronoLog: a tool for computer-assisted chronological modelling

Abstract

Archaeologists and historians are often confronted with the problem of extracting the most meaningful and precise conclusion from a set of chronological data (e.g., stratigraphic data, historical records, radiocarbon dating). The amount of available data can be very large, thus there is a stringent need for rigorous techniques to manipulate and analyse this information. In this paper, we present a methodology to this end, which relies on two elements. First, we present the notion of ‘chronological networks’, a rigorous model to represent chronological units and relations between them. Our model can represent successive periods in time, punctual events, and a wide range of synchronisms (such as: ‘period A starts after the end of period B’). Second, we introduce the latest version of the ChronoLog software, which allows users to encode, manipulate, and analyse chronological networks. ChronoLog has an intuitive interface, in which the user can edit chronological networks with a simple click of the mouse. ChronoLog can also automatically and interactively extract the most precise dates that can be inferred from the input data. We also present guidelines to model classical archaeological situations, in order to help users exploit the ChronoLog data model to its full potential. Finally, we illustrate these guidelines through a practical case study.