Archaeological data is always incomplete, frequently unreliable, often replete with unknown unknowns,
but we nevertheless make the best of what we have and use it to build our theories and extrapolations
about past events. Is there any reason to think that digital data alter this already complicated
relationship with archaeological data? How does the shift to an infinitely more flexible, fluid digital
medium change the character of our data and our use of it? The introduction of Big Data is
frequently said to herald a new epistemological paradigm, but what are the implications of this for
archaeology? As we are increasingly subject to algorithmic agency, how can we best manage this
new data regime? This paper seeks to unpick the nature of digital data and its use within a Big Data
environment as a prerequisite to rational and appropriate digital data analysis in archaeology, and
proposes a means towards developing a more reflexive, contextual approach to Big Data.