INTRODUCTION

Networks have become increasingly popular in archaeology in recent years and have been used to address a wide variety of archaeological questions. In this introductory chapter, we provide a brief history of network approaches in archaeological research as well as in the broader social sciences. We then present a discussion of some of the features of archaeological data and archaeological networks that are distinct from many other areas where network methods and models have been applied. We argue that the special features of archaeological networks present some challenges but also considerable opportunity for archaeologists to contribute to the broader sphere of network theory and methods. Finally, we conclude with a description of the structure of the Handbook and our reasoning in creating this structure.