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The Broken Past: Fractals in Archaeology

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Abstract

Many archaeological patterns are fractal. Fractal analysis, therefore, has much to contribute to archaeology. This article offers an introduction to fractal analysis for archaeologists. We explain what fractals are, describe the essential methods of fractal analysis, and present archaeological examples. Some examples have been published previously, while others are presented here for the first time. We also explain the connection between fractal geometry and nonlinear dynamical systems. Fractals are the geometry of complex nonlinear systems. Therefore, fractal analysis is an indispensable method in our efforts to understand nonlinearities in past cultural dynamics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida

    Clifford T. Brown

  2. Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia

    Walter R. T. Witschey

  3. Center for Complex Systems and Brain Science, Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, and Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida

    Larry S. Liebovitch

  4. Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic University, Room 170 Social Science Building, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431

    Clifford T. Brown

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  1. Clifford T. Brown
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  2. Walter R. T. Witschey
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Brown, C.T., Witschey, W.R.T. & Liebovitch, L.S. The Broken Past: Fractals in Archaeology. J Archaeol Method Theory 12, 37–78 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-005-2396-6

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