Presentation to Digital Humanities class at Pratt Institute on the history of computing in the field of archaeology and current digital humanities projects.

1. Digital Humanities
and Archaeology
By Noreen Whysel
LIS 657 Digital Humanities

2. Archaeology is…
 Material study
 A way to reconstruct history
 A way to supply evidence where there is no written
record

3. 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?

4. 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

5. Today‟s Topics
 Computing in Archaeology
 Archaeology‟s Digital Tools
 Preserving the Digital Record

6. Computing in Archaeology

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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)

10. 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)

11. 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.

12. 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.mesoamerican sci.arch
aeology.moderated
 Archived at Google Groups since 2001
 CD-Rom
 World Wide Web

13. 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

14. Archaeology‟s Digital Tools

15. Digital Elevation Rendering
Stanhope Topography showing Furnace Falls Dam at Lake Musconetcong, Stanhope, NJ
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

16. Satellite Imagery
Tanis, Egypt
Sources: Sarah Parcak& Gregory Mumford,University Of Alabama At Birmingham; Digitalglobe

17. Sonar
A multibeam sonar image of the late 19th century Belgian steamer,
Concha. She sank in British waters after colliding with another vessel.
Image by Wessex Archaeology on Flickr

18. Ground Penetrating Radar
Radar depth slice (ca. 65-70cm) from Gokstad, Norway, acquired by a 16 channel 400 MhzMåla
Imaging Radar Array System (MIRA)
Source: Petra Schneidhofer, Dissertation Abstract, University of Vienna, Initiative College for
Archaeological Prospection

19. 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, SacapuAngamuco, 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

20. LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

21. LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Furnace Falls, Stanhope, NJ
Hi Res Dual Station GPS Team
Sets Site Datum's - January 20, 2004
Temp: 14 - 170 F.
LIDAR Scan Position I
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

22. LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

23. LiDAR Furnace Falls Mitigation
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

24. Simulations
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

25. Combined Visualizations
Image courtesy of Joel W. Grossman, PhD

26. 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/
 TimeMapTMJava is a novel mapping applet which
generates complete interactive maps with a few simple lines
of html.

27. Preserving the Digital Record

28. Archaeologists Profile
 Varied Background
 Historians
 Art historians
 Linguists
 Anthropologists
 Computer training

29. 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

30. E-Publishing and Archiving
 Hybrid print and digital projects
 Electronic data
 Analysis
 Synthesis
 Expository text

31. Online Libraries
 WWW Virtual Library Site for Archaeology
http://archnet.asu.edu/
 ARGE - Archaeological Resource Guide for Europe
http://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

32. Online Communities
 Arqueologia Digital - Brazilian online network for
archaeology practitioners
http://arqueologiadigital.com

33. Continued Problems
 Problems
 Specialization divides practitioners
 Few standards for
 Communication
 Tools
 Preservation of digital data
 Presentation of digital data
 Lack of Computer Training

34. 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.

35. 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

37. 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

40. 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.”

41. SAVE Server Model
Source: Virtual World Heritage Laboratory

42. 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)

43. 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.

44. Bibliography
 Hopkins, C. (March 10, 2012). “Indiana Jones goes geek: Laser-mapping
LiDAR revolutionizes archaeology, Arstechnica [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