Testing Predictive GIS Models and Game Theory: A Case Study of the Simpson Lot, an Antebellum Industrial Homestead Site

Summary

Alternative theories and methodologies hold great potential to assess the prospective research value of ephemeral sites in both academic and CRM contexts. The Simpson Lot of Arcadia Mill is an antebellum industrial site in Northwest Florida that was inhabited by five population groups--’none of which left a particularly discernible material trace. Predictive GIS maps based on the light artifact assemblage are interpreted with a qualitative version of game theory to determine population composition and social dynamics of the site. This approach both created and mapped a multi-scalar data network that was robust enough to identify the living quarters of two female overseers who were supervising 40-100 female slaves at an antebellum textile mill. Although specific information about their lifestyle remains unseen, this previously untested approach successfully identifies enigmatic and faint patterns in the material record--’enough to warrant future research and impart greater cultural significance upon the Simpson Lot.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Assessing Ephemeral Sites: Questions That Count in Cultural Resource Management

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-53,03