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1 - Introducing Network Science for Archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2023

Tom Brughmans
Affiliation:
Aarhus Universitet, Denmark
Matthew A. Peeples
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Summary

Networks are nothing more than a set of entities and the pairwise connections among them. This simple definition encompasses a tremendous amount of variation from communication systems like the internet to power grids to neurons in the brain to road systems and flights between airports to our own social networks defined through familial ties, acquaintance, or any manner of interaction one could imagine. Over the last 20 years or so, academic interest in networks and the complex properties of network systems has grown by leaps and bounds. This has been mirrored by a growing excitement by the public in general (see best-selling works including Barabási and Frangos 2014 and Watts 2004). It is not uncommon these days to see networks and network visuals used as explanatory tools in news stories or popular articles shared across social media (another kind of network) exploring the complicated connections among characters in television shows, books, or people and organizations involved in news stories. Everyone, it seems, is excited about networks and networks are everywhere.

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