Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Parallel Coordinate Plots in Archaeology

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Book cover Algorithms from and for Nature and Life

  • 2796 Accesses

Abstract

Parallel coordinate plots (PCPs) can be applied to explore multivariate data with more than three dimensions. This visualisation method is straightforward and easily intelligible for people without statistical background. However, to our knowledge, PCPs have not yet been applied to archaeological data. This paper presents some examples of archaeological classifications which are clearly visible in PCPs. For this purpose a program has been written offering some additional options which are not supported in standard software for PCP generation. Some of the functionality of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was introduced for PCPs: this program is able to create a thematic display based on a user-selected variable, optionally multiple plots highlight each thematic colour. Another variable may control the width of the PCP lines. Moreover, an info-tool, zoom, and a find-function are supported. The resulting diagram can be saved in SVG format and in a GIS format.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andrews, D. F. (1972). Plots of high dimensional data. Biometrics, 28, 125–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ankerst, M., Berchtold, S., & Keim, D. A. (1998). Similarity clustering of dimensions for an enhanced visualization of multidimensional data. In Proceedings of the IEEE symposium on information visualization, InfoVis’98, (pp. 52–60).

    Google Scholar 

  • Brather, S., & Wotzka, H. P. (2006). Alemannen und Franken? Bestattungsmodi, ethnische Identitäten und wirtschaftliche Verhältnisse zur Merowingerzeit. In St. Burmeister & N. Müller-Scheeßel (Eds.), Soziale Gruppen – kulturelle Grenzen. Die Interpretation sozialer Identitäten in der Prähistorischen Archäologie. Tübinger Archäologische Taschenbücher (pp. 139–224). Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunsdon, C., Fotheringham, A. S., & Charlton M. E. (1997). An investigation of methods for visualising highly multivariate datasets. http://www.agocg.ac.uk/reports/visual/casestud/brunsdon/brunsdon.pdf. Accessed 30 September 2011.

  • Cook, D., & Swayne, D. F. (2007). Interactive and dynamic graphics for data analysis: With R and GGobi (Use R) (pp. 24–34). New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Friendly, M. (2009). Milestones in the history of thematic cartography, statistical graphics, and data visualization. http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/milestone/milestone.pdf. Accessed 17 September 2011.

  • Hinz, M. (2009). Eine multivariate Analyse Aunjetitzer Fundgesellschaften. Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie, p. 173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inselberg, A. (1985). The plane with parallel coordinates. The Visual Computer, 1, 69–91.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Kubach, W., & Zimmermann, A. (1997). Eine kanonische Korrespondenzanalyse zur räumlichen Gliederung der hessischen Bronzezeit. In J. Müller & A. Zimmermann (Eds.), Archäologie und Korrespondenzanalyse: Beispiele, Fragen, Perspektiven. Internationale Archäologie 23 (pp. 147–151). Espelkamp: Marie Leidorf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leuschner, F., Li, J., Göser, S., Reinhardt, L., Öttl, R., Bride, P., et al. (2008). Absence of auto-antibodies against cardiac troponin I predicts improvement of left ventricular function after acute myocardial infarction. European Heart Journal, 29, 1949–1955.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Müller-Scheessel, N., & Burmeister, St. (2006). Einführung: Die Identifizierung sozialer Gruppen. Die Erkenntnismöglichkeiten der Prähistorischen Archäologie auf dem Prüfstand. In St. Burmeister & N. Müller-Scheeßel (Eds.), Soziale Gruppen – kulturelle Grenzen. Die Interpretation sozialer Identitäten in der Prähistorischen Archäologie. Tübinger Archäologische Taschenbücher (pp. 9–38). Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nieveler, E., & Siegmund, F. (1999). The Merovingian chronology of the Lower Rhine area: Results and problems. In J. Hines, K. Høilund Nielsen, & F. Siegmund (Eds.), The pace of change. Studies in early Merovingian chronology (pp. 3–22). Oxford: Oxbow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Posluschny, A. (2003). GIS in the vineyards: Settlement studies in Lower Franconia. In J. Kunow & J. Müller (Eds.), Symposium »Landschaftsarchäologie und geographische Informationssysteme. Prognosekarten, Besiedlungsdynamik und prähistorische Raumordnung«, 15.–18. Oktober 2001, Wünsdorf. Forschungen zur Archäologie im Land Brandenburg 8. Archäoprognose Brandenburg 1 (pp. 251–258). Wünsdorf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, D. W. (1992). Multivariate density estimation. Theory, practice and visualization. New York: Wiley.

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Siegmund, F. (2000). Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde, Band 23: Alemannen und Franken. Berlin: De Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegmund, F. (in press). Basel-Gasfabrik und Basel-Münsterhügel: Amphorentypologie und Chronologie der Spätlatènezeit in Basel. Germania, 89(1), Jg. 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wegman, E. J. (1990). Hyperdimensional data analysis using parallel coordinates. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 85(411), 664–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, J., Peng, W., Ward, M. O., & Rundensteiner, E. A. (2003). Interactive hierarchical dimension ordering, spacing and filtering for exploration of high dimensional datasets. INFOVIS 2003. Proceedings of the Ninth annual IEEE conference on Information visualization (pp. 105–112). http://davis.wpi.edu/~xmdv/docs/tr0313_osf.pdf. Accessed 30 September 2010.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Rhineland Commission for Archaeological Monuments and Sites, Endenicher Str. 133, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Irmela Herzog

  2. Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Historisches Seminar III: Lehrstuhl für Alte Geschichte, 23.31.05.37, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Frank Siegmund

Authors
  1. Irmela Herzog
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Frank Siegmund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irmela Herzog .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Essex Department of Mathematical Sciences, Colchester, United Kingdom

    Berthold Lausen

  2. Ghent University Department of Marketing, Ghent, Belgium

    Dirk Van den Poel

  3. University of Marburg Databionics, FB 12, Marburg, Germany

    Alfred Ultsch

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Herzog, I., Siegmund, F. (2013). Parallel Coordinate Plots in Archaeology. In: Lausen, B., Van den Poel, D., Ultsch, A. (eds) Algorithms from and for Nature and Life. Studies in Classification, Data Analysis, and Knowledge Organization. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00035-0_30

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation