Logic and computing: a historical background

The history of archaeological computing has long been characterised by the distinction between the application of mathematical and statistical techniques, as part of the so-called movement of quantitative archaeology, and the use of databases and information systems for descriptive and documentary purposes. The intensity of the debate on the relationship between logic and computing, as well as between theory and applications, began to wave in the 1990s. Over time, data integration and new ICT tools have allowed archaeologists to address simultaneously all the issues raised by the archaeological research. This paper focuses on the evolution of methods and techniques in this specific research area, thanks to the analysis of literary sources, the Bibliography of Archaeological Computing, accessible via the Virtual Museum of Archaeological Computing website, and the scientific articles published in the open access international journal Archeologia e Calcolatori.