skip to content

Center for Data and Simulation Science

Eleftheria Paliou’s research experience in Computational Archaeology covers a wide range of computer applications, especially in the areas Geographic Information Systems (GIS), 3D modelling and analysis, spatial analysis and statistics, computational social science methods, network analysis (urban network analysis, spatial interaction models), and computer simulation. Her more recent work is looking into the relationship between spatial and socio-economic organisation in prehistoric and historic cultural landscapes by combining computer simulation that uses ‘site prediction’ regression-based techniques and spatial interaction modelling that draws from entropy-maximizing methods. Such an approach aims at capturing persisting patterns in ancient settlement data that are likely to reveal underlying structures, even in the presence of highly fragmented and incomplete datasets, which constitute a common problem in archaeological research. Eleftheria’s research is also more widely concerned with exploring the ways in which data science and simulation methods in archaeology could make best use of the abundance and great time-depth of material evidence on past urban settlement, so as to contribute to a better understanding of human societies, both past and present.

Modelling human interactions - Top: path densities; Middle: spatial interaction modelling; Bottom: kernel densities suggesting the most likely central places

Selected publications

  1. Paliou, E., Bevan, A. 2017 “Computational approaches to Minoan settlement interaction and growth” in Minoan architecture and urbanism: new perspectives on an ancient built environment, Oxford University Press, pp 266-288.
  2. Paliou, E. 2017: Visual perception in past built environments: theoretical and procedural issues in the archaeological application of three-dimensional visibility analysis. in Digital Geoarchaeology: New Techniques for Interdisciplinary Human Environment Research, edited by Christoph Siart and Markus Forbriger (Springer), pp. 65-80.
  3. Paliou, E., Bevan, A. (2016) Evolving settlement patterns, spatial interaction and the socio-political organisation of late Prepalatial south-central Crete, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Volume 42, June 2016, Pages 184–197
  4. Paliou, E. Undine Lieberwirth, Silvia Polla (eds) (2014), Spatial analysis and social spaces: interdisciplinary approaches to the interpretation of historic and prehistoric built environments, Topoi. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, De Gruyter
  5. Paliou, E. (2014) "Visibility analysis in 3D spaces: a new dimension to the understanding of social space", in Spatial analysis and social spaces: interdisciplinary approaches to the interpretation of prehistoric and historical built environments, Paliou, E., Lieberwirth, U., Polla, S. (eds) Topoi. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World, De Gruyter. pp. 91-113.
  6. Paliou, E., (2013). "Reconsidering the concept of visualscapes: Recent advances in three-dimensional visibility analysis" in Computational Approaches to Archaeological Spaces, Bevan, A. and Lake M. (eds). Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press. pp. 243-264.
  7. Paliou, E. and D.J. Knight (2013). "Mapping the senses: Perceptual and Social aspects of Late Antique Liturgy in San Vitale, Ravenna", in Proceedings f CAA 2010, Computer Applications and Quantitative methods in Archaeology, International Conference, Granada 6-9 April, 2010. pp. 229-236.
  8. Paliou, E. (2011), The communicative potential of Theran murals in Late Bronze Age Akotiri: applying viewshed analysis in 3D townscapes. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 30(3): 247–272.
  9. Paliou, E., Wheatley, D., Earl, G. P., (2011),Three-dimensional visibility analysis of architectural spaces: iconography and visibility of the wall paintings of Xeste 3 (Late Bronze Age Akrotiri) . Journal of Archaeological Science. 38:375-386.
  10. Paliou, E. (2008), "An autonomous agent approach to the investigation of intra-site movement and visibility: The visual consumption of Theran Murals from the public spaces of LBA Akrotiri, Thera,Greece" in Proceedings of the Annual International conference of Computer applications and quantitative methods in Archaeology, CAA 2007, Berlin, 2-6, April 2007. A. Posluschny, K. Lambers , I. Herzog (eds). pp. 328-335.