Section: Archaeology
Topic: Archaeology

Detecting Temporal Relations in Archaeology: Model and Algorithms

Levy, Eythan1 orcid 
1University of Zurich, Institute of Archaeology, Classical Philology, and Ancient Studies - Zurich, Switzerlandror

Corresponding author(s): Levy, Eythan (eythan.levy@uzh.ch)

10.24072/pcjournal.761 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 6 (2026), article no. e73

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 This paper addresses the question of finding the optimal temporal relation between two time-periods, in the presence of uncertainties regarding their boundaries (i.e. unknown or bounded start/end). It proposes a fast algorithmic solution, implementated in the Python language, and an archaeological case study related to the Early Bronze Age in the Levant. Open-source Python implementations of our data model and algorithms can be downloaded on the author’s GitHub repository. Our solution is also implemented in the latest version (v. 3) of the ChronoLog modelling tool (https://chrono.ulb.be/).

Published online:
DOI: 10.24072/pcjournal.761
Type: Research article
Classification:
Keywords: Archaeology, Chronology, Temporal relations

Levy, Eythan  1

1 University of Zurich, Institute of Archaeology, Classical Philology, and Ancient Studies - Zurich, Switzerland ror
License: CC-BY 4.0
Copyrights: The authors retain unrestricted copyrights and publishing rights
Levy, E. Detecting Temporal Relations in Archaeology: Model and Algorithms. Peer Community Journal, Volume 6 (2026), article  no. e73. https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.761
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PCI peer reviews and recommendation, and links to data, scripts, code and supplementary information: 10.24072/pci.archaeo.100618

Conflict of interest of the recommender and peer reviewers:
The recommender in charge of the evaluation of the article and the reviewers declared that they have no conflict of interest (as defined in the code of conduct of PCI) with the authors or with the content of the article.

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