Digital Humanities and Archaeology By Noreen Whysel LIS 657 Digital Humanities
Jan 27, 2015
Digital Humanitiesand ArchaeologyBy Noreen WhyselLIS 657 Digital Humanities
Archaeology is…
Material study
A way to reconstruct history
A way to supply evidence where there is no written record
Goals of Archaeology
Find the material remains of our ancestors
Unearth those remains in ways that maximize the information they can convey
Interpret the evidence
What about Preservation?
Archaeological Methods
Excavation: the principal method of data acquisition in archaeology, involving the systematic uncovering of archaeological remains through the removal of the deposits of soil and the other material covering them and accompanying them.
Surface survey: field-walking, i.e. scanning the ground along one's path and recording the location of artifacts and surface features. A systematic survey involves a grid system, such that the survey area is divided into sectors and these are walked systematically.
Problem Both methods cause destruction of the site Both methods remove objects from physical context
Solution Careful record keeping
Today’s Topics
Computing in Archaeology
Archaeology’s Digital Tools
Preserving the Digital Record
Computing in Archaeology
Keeping Records
The main occupation of a field archaeologist is record keeping Keeping good records is an important skill Computers are the best way to keep records Therefore, archaeologists should understand how to use
computers
Sounds logical
Computing in Archaeology
1950s Computers were large, expensive and complicated used more for statistical analysis and mathematical
models than for record keeping
1960s Data begins to be kept in large databanks Data processing required computer code Not many archaeologists had programming skills Not many projects had the budget to hire programmers
Computing in Archaeology
1970s Microcomputers - Powerful data storage and retrieval
dBase: database software, simple to learn and use Graphic rendering programs and rudimentary GIS
New tools allow greater granularity of recorded data raising the standard for record keeping and demand for better and more powerful tools.
First archaeological computing conferences First archaeological computing association
Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, University of Birmingham, UK (1974)
Computing in Archaeology
1980s Personal Computing Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Reconstructing Illustrating Envisioning 3D Modeling Less often, simulation
More professional archaeology associations addressing computing at annual meetings. Archeological Computing Newsletter (1984)
Computing In Archaeology
Mid-1980s GIS: Geographic Information Systems
Standard relational data tables (object data) Linked to coordinates on a map (points, lines) Linked to information derived from map data (grade,
contours, boundaries) GIS allows archaeologists to analyze material
remains in context of physical environment.
Computing in Archaeology
1990s Usenet distributed internet discussion system
alt.archaeology (earliest available article from 1995)sci.archaeology(earliest available article from 1991) Mesopotamia)sci.archaeology.mesoamericansci.archaeology.moderated
Archived at Google Groups since 2001 CD-Rom World Wide Web
Computing in Archaeology
1990s-2000s New surveying methods
Photo: desktop photogrammetry, aerial photography, satellite imagery
Geological: magnetometers, electrical resistance meters, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) conductivity
LiDAR Mapping: Light Detecting and Ranging Remote sensing technology
Archaeology’s Digital Tools
Digital Elevation Rendering
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
Stanhope Topography showing Furnace Falls Dam at Lake Musconetcong, Stanhope, NJ
Satellite Imagery
Sources: Sarah Parcak & Gregory Mumford,University Of Alabama At Birmingham; Digitalglobe
Tanis, Egypt
Sonar
Image by Wessex Archaeology on Flickr
A multibeam sonar image of the late 19th century Belgian steamer, Concha. She sank in British waters after colliding with another vessel.
Ground Penetrating Radar
Source: Petra Schneidhofer, Dissertation Abstract, University of Vienna, Initiative College for Archaeological Prospection
Radar depth slice (ca. 65-70cm) from Gokstad, Norway, acquired by a 16 channel 400 Mhz Måla Imaging Radar Array System (MIRA)
LiDAR
LiDAR is a method of generating precise and directly geo-referenced spatial information about the shape and surface characteristics of the Earth.
Used to examine natural and built environments across a wide range of scales with greater accuracy, precision, and flexibility than ever before
Legacies of Resilience, Sacapu Angamuco, Mexico http://www.resilientworld.com Chris Fisher, Colorado State University.
Furnace Falls Dam Mitigation, Stanhope, NJ http://www.geospatialarchaeology.com/ Joel Grossman, PhD, Army Corps of Engineers
LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
Furnace Falls, Stanhope, NJHi Res Dual Station GPS TeamSets Site Datum's - January 20, 2004Temp: 14 - 170 F.
LIDAR Scan Position I
LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Simulations
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
Combined Visualizations
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD
Programs for Archaeology
Bonn Archaeological Software Package (BASP) http://wings.buffalo.edu/anthropology/BASP/basp.html 70+ functions for seriation, clustering, correspondence
analysis, and mapping; includes programs for three dimensional display of data, finding rectangular structures in scanned excavation plans, and rectification of extremely oblique aerial photographs and their superimposition on large-scale scanned maps.
TimeMap http://www.timemap.net/ TimeMap TMJava is a novel mapping applet which
generates complete interactive maps with a few simple lines of html.
Preserving the Digital Record
Archaeologists Profile
Varied Background Historians Art historians Linguists Anthropologists
Computer training
Publishing in Archaeology
Electronic publishing CD, websites Web monographs, web journals like Internet Archaeology Better, cheaper color graphics Shorter lifespan, degrading technology, ephemeral web
pages Need: e-published databases, CAD models, GIS databases
Born digital artifacts are best stored digitally
E-Publishing and Archiving
Hybrid print and digital projects Electronic data Analysis Synthesis Expository text
Online Libraries
WWW Virtual Library Site for Archaeologyhttp://archnet.asu.edu/
ARGE - Archaeological Resource Guide for Europehttp://odur.let.rug.nl/arge/
VLMP - WWW Virtual Library for Museums http://icom.museum
World Lecture Hall - Anthropology and Archaeology http://web.austin.utexas.edu/wlh/
"the lithics site": a resource for archaeological lithic analysts (1999-) http://wings.buffalo.edu/anthropology/Lithics
Online Communities
Arqueologia Digital - Brazilian online network for archaeology practitionershttp://arqueologiadigital.com
Continued Problems
Problems Specialization divides practitioners Few standards for
Communication Tools Preservation of digital data Presentation of digital data
Lack of Computer Training
Solutions - Communication
Archaeological Data Service (UK) Repository for electronic project data. Provides guides and best practices for software and data
tools like CAD and GIS Standards of software companies don't always cover the
ways that archaeologists use them.
Solutions - Supercomputers
Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), Institute of Classical Archaeology, University of Texas A leading partner with Extreme Science and Engineering
Discovery Environment (XSEDE)
“Digs that I’ve participated in have produced information that is now digitally gone because the platforms and the storage mechanisms became obsolete, and that’s in the space of ten years….”
“When we look down the road and ask, ‘What will we leave for people 25 years from now, 100 years from now?’ we’re faced with a huge issue that people are just starting to confront. The use of new tools outpaced the concern about the future.
--Dr. Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Director
Solutions - Preservation
Translatlantic Archaeology Gateway Multi-national Partnership
The Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) Arizona State University (USA) – Digital Antiquity
Archaeological Data Service (UK) Mission
Repository for electronic project data. Sustainable service for archaeological teaching,
learning and research Funded by JISC and NEH
Solutions: Preservation
Virtual World Heritage Laboratory University of Virginia http://vwhl.clas.virginia.edu
SAVE: Serving and Archiving Virtual Environments “Several thousand scientific 3D digital models of cultural
artifacts have been created over the past decade as digital humanists have embraced new 3D technologies. Ironically, the scholars who have worked so hard to preserve the world's cultural heritage have rarely paid attention to how their own contributions will survive in the coming decades.”
SAVE Server Model
Source: Virtual World Heritage Laboratory
Conferences
CAA Conference, March 2013, Perth Australia http://caaconference.org Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology Archaeologists, mathematics and computer scientists
DigiDoc 2012, Edinburgh Scotland http://www.digitaldocumentation.co.uk Cyark Archaeology, architecture, heritage and design
TAG Conference, 2013, Chicago http://tag2013.uchicago.edu/cfp.html Theoretical Archaeology Group intersection of archaeology with critical theory, philosophy, and
anthropology (especially visualizations)
Bibliography
Archaeology Data Service. (n.d.) [website]. Retrieved from http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archsearch/
Blackwell, S. (2004). A Companion to Digital Humanities, ed. Susan Schreibman, Ray Siemens, John Unsworth. Oxford: Blackwell. Retrieved from http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion/
The Digital Archaeological Record tDAR. (n.d.) [website]. Retrieved from http://www.tdar.org
Grossman J. W. (2008). “Human-landscape interactions.” In: Encyclopedia of Archaeology, ed. by Deborah M. Pearsall. © 2008, Academic Press, New York.
Grossman J. W. (2008). “Toxic and hazardous environments.” In: Encyclopedia of Archaeology, ed. by Deborah M. Pearsall. Academic Press, New York.
Bibliography
Hopkins, C. (March 10, 2012). “Indiana Jones goes geek: Laser-mapping LiDAR revolutionizes archaeology, Ars technica [website] Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/03/indiana-jones-goes-geek-laser-mapping-lidar-revolutionizes-archaeology/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Coastal Services Center. (November 2012). LiDAR 101: an introduction to LiDAR technology, data, and applications. Retrieved from http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/_/pdf/lidar101.pdf
Texas Advanced Computing Center. (n.d.) Advanced Computing in the Humanities, Art and Social Sciences. [website] Retrieved from http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/education/humanities