Abstract: Dates, periods and timespans are described in archaeological datasets using a number of different textual patterns for which myriad variations exist, rendering direct automated comparison difficult. The issue can occur even within records from the same dataset and is further compounded when attempting to integrate multilingual data – particularly where dates may be expressed in words rather than numbers. The same problem can be found in temporal metadata, whether manually entered or generated via Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques from reports and grey literature. Resolving and normalizing dates and periods to internationally agreed standard formats enables efficient data integration, interchange, search, comparison and visualization. This paper reports on the design and implementation of a tool to normalize temporal expressions to a numerical time axis and reflects on key issues.Textual patterns for seven categories of temporal expression have been normalized: Ordinal named or numbered centuries; Year spans; Single year (with tolerance); Decades; Century spans; Single year with prefix; Named periods. The following languages are currently supported: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Welsh. Methods are described together with an (open source) normalization tool developed in Python and four applications of the method are discussed, together with limitations and future work. Results are presented from diverse data sets and languages. The input is a temporal text string and a language code (ISO639-1). The output is a tab delimited text file with start/end years (in ISO 8601 format), relative to Common Era (CE). The normalized outputs are provided as additional attributes along with the original text expression for consuming software to employ in end-user applications. Published on 2023-03-27 11:08:07
Abstract: After several field campaigns between 2007 and 2018 in the northwestern region of the Dominican Republic, more than 300 archaeological sites have been registered and revisited. While several of these sites were identified through the scatter of surface material culture, others show terrain modifications in the form of anthropogenic mounds and levelled areas. Researchers have gathered valuable information regarding these features’ functionality and construction processes through large-scale excavations in archaeological sites with anthropogenic mounds, paleoenvironmental studies and remote sensing analyses. These anthropogenic mounds represent a long-term process of formation and were used for a variety of purposes ranging from agricultural to ritual activities. While excavations and small-scale remote sensing can provide a myriad of data to improve our understanding of these archaeological sites, a regional perspective is needed to map the relationship among archaeological sites with and without terrain modifications, to better understand the Indigenous cultural patterns in their regional environment. In this regard, the primary objective of this paper is to explore to what extent these archaeological sites were related to the environment and each other. This was achieved by correlating archaeological data with a set of archaeologically recognized important environmental variables using advanced spatial statistics. The results provide important insights to understand the underlying pattern of archaeological sites in this region and its relationship with the environmental setting. Published on 2023-03-23 11:03:50
Abstract: The spatial patterns and grave good associations at the cemetery of Vedrovice – Široká u Lesa (Czech Republic) are explored using computationally intensive formal methods. Resampling approaches to both intra-site spatial arrangement and the distribution of grave goods are explored in relation to layers of identity represented by different buried body attributes – sex, age, and geographical origin. Polished stone adzes, grinding tools and ceramic bowls are non-randomly distributed grave goods. The investigation of differences among the non-randomly distributed artifacts and attributes of burials indicates that the most significant are dichotomies between sexes, accentuated by both origin and age. Spatial analysis shows clear trends toward clustering between burials, and the emerging clusters are further explored for similarities in burial attributes. Published on 2023-02-15 10:10:34
Abstract: The Smart Eye Application is an augmented reality app for mobile devices that enables the in-situ 3D visualization of underground and inaccessible to the public archaeological sites and monuments.Accessibility to excavated archaeological sites and monuments is often hindered for reasons of preservation or urban development. Portable finds are transferred and, in some cases, exhibited in local museums, but the non-portable remains of ancient structures become eventually effaced from the landscape and the collective memory of local communities. The Smart Eye app provides an “x-ray” type view of excavation sites that have been backfilled and are now invisible. While common practice in heritage sites’ digital dissemination to the general public uses 2D or 3D reconstructions in augmented or virtual reality environments, the Smart Eye app presents archaeological remains in the shape and form they were found in by archaeologists supplemented with augmented reality markers that provide simplified textual and visual information aimed toward a non-scholarly public. The aim is to re-instate these heritage sites into the interactive relationship that people have with their landscape and their history.The present paper discusses the chaîne-opératoire of developing the app, from the acquisition of primary documentation data of the excavation sites to the methodology used for the production of the 3D models of the archaeological sites and the development of the app itself and the technical equipment used. Finally, we discuss the results of the preliminary evaluation of the application and future steps to improve it before final testing by the local communities where the archaeological sites are located. Published on 2022-12-23 10:15:21
Abstract: Critical data and metadata must be captured or created in the field, or shortly thereafter, to avoid loss. For the past 10 years, the Field Acquired Information Management Systems (FAIMS) project has developed and operated a customisable field data capture platform. Over time, we built features and approaches that incorporated the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles into born-digital datasets created during fieldwork. This paper synthesises our experience helping more than 40 projects adapt the FAIMS platform to nearly 70 research workflows in archaeology and other fieldwork domains. We review what elements of the FAIR Data Principles FAIMS was able to build into our software, how users received these capabilities, and what sociotechnical challenges impeded creation of FAIRer field data. Based on our experience, we argue that field data capture software can facilitate the production of FAIRer data, making those data much more Findable and Reusable, and somewhat more Accessible and Interoperable. Any such improvements, however, depend upon (1) making FAIR-data features an integral part of field data collection systems, minimising the burden imposed on researchers, and (2) researchers’ willingness to spend time and resources implementing FAIR Data Principles that do not provide immediate benefits to their research. Published on 2022-11-10 12:19:15
Abstract: Guåhan (Guam), part of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific, has an archaeological record spanning almost four millennia. In this seminal academic paper on the use of lidar for archaeological investigation on Guåhan, we determined which known sites can be visually detected to explore the effectiveness of lidar in this context. Several archaeological site types and features from the Latte, Spanish, and Modern Periods were examined using high-resolution 2020 airborne lidar. We generated the most commonly used digital elevation models (DEMs), which are digital terrain models (DTMs) and digital surface models (DSMs), and visualised them as a hillshade. Lidar proved effective for identifying all the Modern Period sites and most of the Latte and Spanish Period sites, although some features remained obscure. Major challenges and limitations of using lidar on Guåhan were vegetation, site size, and visual ambiguities. While this study used conventional lidar derivatives, it exposed the potential to find more archaeological sites by applying more complex lidar processing techniques in the future. The benefits of lidar are of great interest to the local community, especially the Indigenous CHamoru, interested in non-destructive ways to assist their cultural heritage management. Published on 2022-11-09 12:30:32
Abstract: The Mernda VR Project is an initiative exploring the possible applications of hypothetical digital reconstructions of rural archaeological sites, with an aim to investigate the efficacy of virtual reality as a means of fostering engagement and interest in rural archaeology. Expanding on existing work into digital reconstructions of heritage, the Mernda VR Project investigates whether reconstructions of heritage sites may be suited to smaller scale rural archaeology, in addition to reconstructions of grander, more well-known, and celebrated heritage sites. While reconstructions of renowned heritage sites certainly have their place in engaging the public with heritage, rural archaeological heritage is at a greater risk of destruction resulting from development, or simply being overlooked and forgotten in the public imagination. As such, these sites are in greater need of innovative representations and outreach programs for their cultural merit to be understood and remembered. The Mernda VR Project used physically based rendering (PBR) to create a life-like digital environment reconstructing a mid-19th century cottage and flour mill in Mernda, Victoria, and imported the 360 degree rendered images into the virtual tour software 3DVista for development into an interactive educational experience. The experience is planned for display in local schools to assess the practicability and effectiveness of such displays for increased engagement, interest, and comprehension compared with more traditional educational displays. This article is intended as a technical guide for the creation of 3D modelled archaeological displays using polygonal modelling and PBR textures and structure from motion photogrammetry, and acts as a companion piece to Keep (in press) which provides further details on the historical context of the reconstructed site. Published on 2022-11-09 12:27:16
Abstract: With over 200 peer-reviewed papers published over the last 20 years, 3D modelling is no longer a gimmick but an established and increasingly common analytical tool for stone artefact analysis. Laser and structured light scanning, photogrammetry, and CT scanning have all been used to model stone artefacts. These have been combined with a variety of different analytical approaches, from geometric morphometrics to custom reduction indices to digital elevation maps. 3D lithic analyses are increasingly global in scope and studies aim to address an ever-broadening breadth of research topics ranging from testing the functional efficiency of artefacts to assessing the cognitive capabilities of hominid populations. While the impact of the computational revolution on lithic analysis has been reviewed, the impact of 3D modelling on lithic analysis has yet to be comprehensively assessed. This paper presents a review of how 3D modelling in particular has impacted the field of stone artefact analysis. It combines a quantitative bibliometric analysis with a qualitative review to assess just how “revolutionary” 3D modelling has been for lithic analysis. It explores trends in the use of 3D modelling in stone artefact analysis, its impact on the wider lithic analysis field, and methodological, regional and theoretical gaps which future research projects could explore. Published on 2022-11-04 10:59:20
Abstract: Exploratory GIS models present multiple different conceptual versions of space. This article focusses on the landscape level pathways between areas defined as suitable for land use and occupancy within the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area (WLRWHA), New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Models of the potential connections between ecologically significant land use patches and key hydrology provide iterative networks of functional connectivity, highlighting salient pathways of past land use and occupancy of Country. The shape of the connections between places is important to understanding Country from the inside. Outputs from these network models are a powerful visualisation tool because they display areas where contact with the 19thc Europeans, particularly through fence construction and ground water appropriation, caused greater levels of exploitation and damage than currently recognised. Concomitantly, the benefit of situating these network techniques within an exploratory framework cannot be understated. The iterative nature of the exploratory design allows for multiple presentations of the connectivity between the spaces within the WLRWHA and therefore multiple ways of knowing and seeing space. Modelling the potential pathways between suitable patches opens the door to discussions about the diverse possible corridors of activity within pre-European settlement of Country and the corollary discussion of how European settlement substantially impacted upon these connections and continues to impact on a living Country. Published on 2022-11-03 10:46:52
Abstract: In this paper, we present SAGAscape, an agent-based model of resource exploitation and subsistence strategies to explore the human impact of hilltop settlements on the natural environment in the study area of Sagalassos (southwest Turkey) during the Iron Age to Hellenistic period. Using realistic GIS data and empirical settlement patterns as input, we simulate communities with resource exploitation strategies for three main resources: food, wood and clay. The model produces results consistent with empirical observations by simulating anthropogenic zones of human impact embedded in a forest matrix. General patterns of sustainability for most communities under most model settings can be observed. Under certain high demand settings, however, trade-offs between resource exploitation strategies start to emerge, resulting in disruption of resource stocks in certain communities. The SAGAscape model provides a suitable baseline for the assessment of socio-ecological sustainability in subsistence and resource exploitation of local communities. Through this work, we aim to advance the usage of computational modelling and simulations in Classical and Anatolian archaeology. Published on 2022-11-02 11:00:15
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