Measuring, Counting and Explaining: An Introduction to Mathematics in Archaeology

Abstract

“What is archaeology about?” asks the professional mathematician shocked by the use of numbers, functions, equations, probabilities, set-theoretic propositions and the like by archaeologists. The answer is pretty simple. “Archaeology is what archaeologists do” (Gardin 1980). We excavate and fi nd stones, pottery sherds, animal and human bones, the remains of ancient buildings, what our ancestors made and discarded at some time, etc. These are our objects of study, but not our objective. The goal of archaeology is to describe the past, that is to say, to fi nd out what people did some time ago and why. Then, where is the place for mathematics? Why a book with such an unusual title: “Mathematics and Archaeology”? .