Anthropological Software on the Web

This guide contains anthropological software available on the web. Most of the software listed here is either freeware, shareware or demos. Much of this material was developed at universities by graduate student researchers. Quantitative, geographical information utilities and simulation software tend to be the focus of student programming efforts. While this kind of software is generally distributed without cost, there usually is a price. Freeware and shareware is usually offered without waranty and with only limited documentation.


AFTER Ethnographic research program produced by NOVA Research Company.This is an integrated sotware program that assigns codes to multimedia material (photographs, text, audio, and video files), assembles related coded files together for analysis, pulls excerpts for selected codes from text files and non-text files, and creates structured data files for quantitative analysis of coded items. Free Demo available. IBM only.
AI-Phyto: Phytoliths are silica bodies produced in the tissues of many plant families that can be used to identify plants. There are many applications of phytolith analysis in archaeology and paleoecology. This program was written to be an introduction to phytoliths for the non-expert. It incorporates the knowledge and practice of Pearsall's and Piperno's laboratories. AI-PHYTOTM will guide you through the basic classification system for phytoliths, focusing on forms produced in the temperate and tropical regions of the New World. Included in the program is a discriminant function for identifying maize in the lowland tropics outside of Mexico, and a computerized version of Piperno's 1988 key to phytolith types. IBM only.
Agentsheets: An object oriented simulation programing language. Agentsheets is based on LISP (a form of artificial intelligence) and compiles to Java, which permits web based distribution of simulations. While Agentsheets is a powerful tool for simulation, it has little useful documentation. Mac compatable only.
ANTHROPAC is a menu-driven DOS program for collecting and analyzing data on cultural domains. The program helps collect and analyze structured qualitative and quantitative data including freelists, pilesorts, triads, paired comparisons, and ratings. ANTHROPAC's analytical tools include techniques that are unique to Anthropology, such as consensus analysis, as well as standard multivariate tools such as multiple regression, factor analysis, cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis. In addition, the program provides a wide variety of data manipulation and transformation tools, plus a full-featured matrix algebra language. Click here to learn more about Anthropac.IBM only.
Bonn Archaeological Statistics Package (BASP):A statistics package designed by and for archaeologists. Most comercially produced statistics packages are more powerful and easier to use than BASP. However, BASP performs functions that are specific to archaeology (e.g. Harris Matrix Analysis). IBM compatable only.
Forager: Amber Waves Software introduces Forager, a foraging (feeding behavior) simulation software package. This program enables users to set up animal behavior models based on any of several current foraging concepts. Users can graphically design the foraging environment and specify behavior rules. In addition to its modeling capabilities, Forager contains tools for creating reports,graphs, and maps. IBM only.
Maclade:cladistic software for the Mac. This package is both easy to use and powerful. It is a fantastic tool for examining the evolutionary history of related organisms.
Neolithic Revolution: A semi-interactive movie that asks students to observe environmental and social changes that occur as a result of the introduction of neolithic farmers. Compatable with Mac, IBM and Sun Platforms. Requires Shockwave plug-in.
PalomaWorld:A virtual tour of a three thousand year old Peruvian fishing village. Visitors can 'fly-through' a 3D reconstruction of the village and excavate a portion of the site. Compatable with Mac, IBM and Sun Platforms. Requires Shockwave plug-in.
Sapiens: Fight for your life in this paleolithic simulation. Mac only.
Swarm is a software package for multi-agent simulation of complex systems being developed at The Santa Fe Institute. Swarm is intended to be a useful tool for researchers in a variety of disciplines, especially artificial life. IBM or Unix.
TNT-lite:A dynamyte geographical information system for medium to small sized projects. TNT-lite is relatively easy to use and is well documented. Mac or IBM.
ViSta: Visual Statistics System. Free statistics software that uses a graphical interface and artificial intelligence for dynamic model building. Includes a multidimensional scaling module. Mac, IBM or Unix.