- Title: Network Visualization and the Utilization of Archaeological Data: The Example of Nangnang (Lelang) Tombs
- Author: Ilhong Ko
- Journal: Seoul National University Journal of Humanities 79(1)
- Publication Date: February, 2022
- Abstract
The amount of archaeological data on Nangnang (Lelang) Tombs published since the 1990s has come to exceed the amount of data previously accumulated as a result of large-scale rescue excavations undertaken in Pyeongyang. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method of utilizing that data, which is of low resolution. This paper adopts a network approach, which can be useful in dealing with large amounts of low resolution data, to undertake an analysis of the data retrieved from finds lists found in North Korean publications. As the objective of this study was to illuminate the usefulness of network visualization, tombs yielding Chinese Han mirrors were selected for analysis, as they were deemed suitable for the purpose at hand, as well as being a key topic of research in Nangnang studies. The results of analysis undertaken on the Nangnang tombs revealed that the clustering of tombs did not coincide with pre-established temporal phases, indicating that a rough study of mortuary practices at the tombs could be carried out according to tomb type, without putting too much weight on temporal elements, which could not be ascertained for many of the tombs published from the 1990s. In addition, it was illustrated how the lower resolution nodes could be more useful that higher resolution nodes, according to the research question, indicating that low resolution data could indeed be useful.
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