An Enchantment of Digital Archaeology

<p> The use of computation in archaeology is a kind of magic a way of heightening the archaeological imagination. Agent-based modelling allows archaeologists to test the 'just-so' stories they tell about the past. It requires a formalization of the story so that it can be represented as a simulation; researchers are then able to explore the unintended consequences or emergent outcomes of stories about the past. Agent-based models are one end of a spectrum that at the opposite side ends with video games. This volume explores this spectrum in the context of Roman archaeology addressing the strengths weaknesses and opportunities of a formalized approach to computation and archaeogaming.</p>