This open access book comprehensively overviews the groundbreaking insights and methodologies presented at the inaugural Big Historical Data Conference held in November 2023. It is a synthesis of interdisciplinary research leveraging advanced computational techniques and digital data to unravel historical processes. The book is segmented into theoretical, methodological, and application sections, each essential for understanding the value and challenges of Big Historical Data.

The modelling section introduces various computational techniques applied to historical data to simulate and predict ancient human-environment interactions; application case studies present relevant examples of insights obtained through use of Big Historical Data; and the theory section explores the philosophical, ethical, and theoretical implications of digital data in historical research. The accumulation of digital data and advancements in computational techniques have revolutionized the study of past human-environmental interactions, presenting significant challenges in data management, integration, and interpretation. New tools and frameworks are needed to harmonize and analyze diverse data sources. By proposing a holistic overview, our book seeks to enable a more integrated and insightful examination of historical processes, offering a clearer lens through which we can understand the past and its lessons for the future.

This book is aimed at researchers, scholars, and students in the fields of history, archaeology, paleo-environmental sciences, and related disciplines interested in using Big Data and digital methodologies in historical research. Additionally, it serves as an invaluable resource for data scientists and computational modellers seeking to apply their technical expertise to historical contexts, for educators looking to incorporate cutting-edge research into their curricula and programs, and for policymakers who wish to explore the use of historical knowledge to address modern-day problems.

Ricardo Fernandes is a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (formerly Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History), adjunct professor at Warsaw University, and associate professor at Masaryk University. He led the Systems Archaeology research group and the Computational, Bioarchaeology, and Radiocarbon laboratories at Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology until the closure of the department of Archaeology in 2025. He employs complex systems theory and scientific methods to better understand past societal dynamics with relevance for policy-making.

Sean Hixon received PhD at University of California-Santa Barbara after completing his dissertation research on timing and paleo environmental context of Late Holocene large animal introductions and extinctions in SW Madagascar. He continued Madagascar-based research at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology with support from Humboldt and Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowships. His research uses the fossil record to compare the niche conservativism of terrestrial vertebrates over the scale of millennia on both Madagascar and in the NW Great Basin of North America. This research involves a heavy reliance on radiocarbon dating bone and integration of light stable isotope data from paleo and modern ecological studies. He recently completed a National Science Foundation Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at Oregon State University and is continuing there with support from a Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. 

Alison J.T. Harris is an associate professor of human osteoarchaeology in the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her research applies stable isotope analysis of proteins and amino acids, as well as other biomolecular archaeology methods, to questions of human infant feeding practices, experiences of matrescence in the past, and human-environment interactions. She completed a double PhD at Stockholm University and the University of York, and conducted postdoctoral research at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology.

Carlo Cocozza is an assistant professor in data science and complex systems for the ERC Synergy Grant EUROpest project at the University of Toruń. He holds an MSc in Bioarchaeology from the University of York and obtained his PhD in Vor- und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. His postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology involved stable isotope analysis to investigate long-term shifts in diet, agricultural economies, infant feeding practices, and mobility across ancient and medieval societies at multiple spatiotemporal scales. Carlo’s work contributes to the systematic global collection and integration of bioarchaeological stable isotope data through the IsoMemo initiative, where he serves as deputy director.