Digital humanities-and-archaeology

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