The Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis (CfAS), a CoMSES Net partner, is seeking participants for a new initiative that has recently been funded by the John Templeton Foundation and Santa Fe Institute. The project is entitled “Coding the Past: The Challenges and Promise of Large-Scale Cultural Databases” and is led by Edward Slingerland (University of British Columbia) and Scott Ortman (University of Colorado Boulder). This effort will advance synthetic understandings of the role of religious ideas, practices, and institutions in the overall evolution of human societies. The initial project activity will be an in-person meeting of 18 researchers who have expertise in the study of religious history and/or cultural evolution, and who are willing to invest time in learning how to use a new online research tool known as the database of religious history (https://religiondatabase.org/landing). CfAS is committed to diversity and professional development and strongly encourages participation by junior and historically underrepresented researchers, by heritage management professionals as well as academics, and by individuals from developing countries and indigenous communities.

If you are interested in participating, please see the Request for Information on the CfAS website (http://www.archsynth.org/). The due date for responses is June 1, 2022. The working group will meet at the Santa Fe Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 13-14, 2022.