UCL Institute of Archaeology

• BA, PhD
• Senior Lecturer in Archaeology
  
• Chair of Departmental Teaching Committee
• Member of Editorial Board, World Archaeology
• Member of AHRC Peer Review College and Panel
• Degree Programme Co-ordinator: MSc in GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology (on sabbatical 2012-13)
• Course Co-ordinator: ARCLG055 Model building in archaeology

Research Interests

I am actively engaged in the development and use of quantitative and computational methods for studying the past, especially agent-based computer simulation and geographical information systems. I have used these techniques to study the evolutionary origins of cultural transmission, Mesolithic settlement strategies in Scotland and the spread of farming in Neolithic Europe. I also have a long standing interest in the problem of memes and the manner in which human innovation explores design space. Further information (and software) is available on my personal web pages.

For information about my AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity projects, see my profile on the AHRC CECD website.

Research Directory Records

• Computational Modelling and Human Use of Space
• Macroevolutionary Patterning in Technological Evolution

Visiting Lecturer

• School of Archaeology, University of Siena, 2006
• Dept. of Archaeology, Göteborg University. 2005
  

Educational Background

• 1991: University of Cambridge, BA
• 1995: University of Cambridge, PhD

• Lake, M W and Crema E R, 2012. The Cultural Evolution of Adaptive-Trait Diversity when Resources are Uncertain and Finite. Advances in Complex Systems, 15, 1-2
• Lake, M W, 2010. The Uncertain Future of Simulating the Past. pp.12-20 in A Costopoulos and M W Lake (eds) Simulating Change: Archaeology Into the Twenty-First Century, Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
• Costopoulos, A and Lake, M W, 2010. Simulating Change: Archaeology Into the Twenty-First Century. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
• Crema, E R, Bevan, A and Lake, M W, 2010. A Probabilistic Framework for Assessing Spatio-Temporal Point Patterns in the Archaeological Record. Journal of Archaeological Science, 37: 1118-1130.
• Lake, M W and Venti, J, 2009. Quantitative Analysis of Macroevolutionary Patterning in Technological Evolution: Bicycle Design from 1800 to 2000. pp147-174 in S J Shennan (ed.) Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution, London: University of California Press.
• Lake, M W, 2008. Interpreting the Record / Computer Simulation Modeling. In D Pearsall (ed.) Encyclopedia of Archaeology, Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press.
• Lake, M W, (ed.) 2007. Viewing Space. World Archaeology, 39 (theme issue).
• Lake, M W, 2007. Viewing Space. World Archaeology, 39:1-3.
• Lake, M W, 2007. Whither Processulism? (Review Article). Antiquity, 81:208-210.
• Conolly, J and Lake M, 2006. Geographical Information Systems
  in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Bentley, R A, Lake M W and Shennan, S J, 2005. Specialisation and wealth inequality in a model of a clustered economic network.Journal of Archaeological Science, 32: 1346-1356.
• Lake, M W, 2004. Being in a Simulacrum: Electronic Agency. pp.191-209 in A.Gardner (ed.), Agency Uncovered, London: UCL Press.
• Lake, M W and Woodman, P E, 2003. Visibility studies in archaeology: A review and case study. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 30:689-707.
• Lake, M W, 2001. Numerical Modelling in Archaeology. pp.23-732 in D R Brothwell & AM Pollard (eds), Handbook of Archaeological Sciences, John Wiley & Sons.
• Lake, M W, 2001. The Use of Pedestrian Modelling in Archaeology, with an Example from the Study of Cultural Learning. Environment and Planning B: Planning
  and Design 28, 385-403.
• Lake, M W, 2000. Computer Simulation of Mesolithic Foraging. pp.107-143 inG Gumerman & T Kohler (eds), Dynamics in Human and Primate Societies:
  Agent-Based Modeling of Social and Spatial Processes, New York: Oxford University Press.
• Lake, M W, 2000. MAGICAL Computer Simulation of Mesolithic Foraging on Islay.pp.465-495 in S J Mithen (ed), Hunter-Gatherer Landscape Archaeology: The
  Southern Hebrides Mesolithic Project, 1988--98 The McDonald Institute for Archaeological
  Research, Cambridge 2: Archaeological Fieldwork on Colonsay, Computer Modelling,
  Experimental Archaeology, and Final Interpretations, Cambridge: The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.
• Lake, M W, 1998 Digging for Memes: the role of material objects in cultural evolution, in C Renfrew & C Scarre (eds). Cognition and Material Culture:
  the Archaeology of Symbolic Storage. Cambridge: The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
• Lake, M W, 1998. Homo: the Creative Genus? in S J Mithen (ed). Creativity
  in Human Evolution and Prehistory. London: Routledge.
• Lake, M W, Woodman, P E & Mithen, S J, 1998. Tailoring GIS Software for Archaeological Applications: an example concerning viewshed analysis. Journal
  of Archaeological Science 25, 27-38
• Lake, M W, 1997. Darwinian Archaeology: an `Ism' for Our Times? (review article),Antiquity 71, 1086-8.
• Lake, M W, 1996. Archaeological Inference and the Explanation of Hominid Evolution.pp. 184-206 in J Steele & S Shennan (eds), The Archaeology of Human
  Ancestry: power, sex and tradition, London: Routledge.

Current Students

• Stuart Eve Through Dead Men's Eyes: Augmented Reality, Embodied GIS and Visitors to Open-Air Heritage Sites (second supervisor Sue Hamilton)
• Katarzyna Bronk-Zaborowska GIS approaches to cultural heritage management: a case study from Poland. (second supervisor Tim Williams)
• Eugenio Bortolini An evolutionary and quantitative analysis for the study of spatial and constructiuon variation of prehistoric burial cairns in Early Bronze Age Oman (joint supervision with Stephen Shennan)

Second Supervisor

• Michael Shapland Towers of lordship: Tower-Nave churches in society and landscape of Early Medieval England (principal supervisor Andrew Reynolds)