The US Soil Conservation Service examines limitations on the uses of classified soils in each county. One of the uses they have looked at has been cemeteries. One could convert the SCS comments into categorical data for several sample counties in a region and then examine the association of known cemeteries with soil types deemed suitable, marginally unsuitable, and unsuitable for interments. The result would be one or more probability statements on the presence-absence of cemeteries in a particular soil association. I would develop type categories for the cemeteries as well since family cemeteries likely will exhibit greater variability than community cemeteries. 

But as to your question, I know of no predictive modeling efforts for European American cemeteries. I suspect there have been efforts to model aboriginal burial sites in the USA. 

James G. Gibb 
Gibb Archaeological Consulting 
2554 Carrollton Road 
Annapolis, MD 21403 USA 
443.482.9593 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Wright" <[log in to unmask]> 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 6:43:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: Predictive modelling of burials 

Predictive modelling of settlement sites used to be all the rage. 

The independent variables were slope of ground, direction of view, elevation in landscape, closeness to water, closeness to edible resources, etc.. 

The dependent variable was the probability of sites, or estimates of the number of sites. 

My question is whether any attempt has been made to apply predictive modelling to burials. 

I'm not talking about pie in the sky stuff, but a study where real data were fed into the 'equation', and predictions emerged that were subsequently tested by ground truthing. 

Any advice will be welcome, but please don't tell me that I am naive to think it can be done. The point is that I don't think it can be done. 

Of course we might use the independent variables of softness of ground and pH of soil to put a circle around some hectares of terrain, but what about predictive modelling within those circled areas? 


Richard Wright