Abstract
The steadily growing bond between Geo-ICT and archaeology, which follows from the inherently spatial nature of the archaeological record and its interdisciplinary character, involves a wide range of spatial applications from subsurface modelling to distribution maps and predictive modelling. Despite the potential of Geo-ICT for archaeology, its penetration in the discipline is not as extensive as might be expected. The role of education and the approach to technology and information science that archaeologists have adopted are important factors in this development. More specifically, the adoption of Geo-ICT in archaeology is influenced by the field of activity, the nature of the archaeological record and the theoretical perspective. The last factor is particularly influential because it determines which concept of human space is used and consequently the most feasible Geo-ICT methods. Archaeologists are less worried about the geomodelling framework than about the lack of financial resources for software, data and basic training, the limitations of Geo-ICT methods for 3D and temporal modelling, and problems of data conversion and sustainability. The integration of Geo-ICT in archaeology would benefit from a new theoretical framework, together with a concerted effort from different sciences to set up campus-wide support and Geo-ICT infrastructure for multidisciplinary research and collaboration.
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Notes
- 1.
The term GIS was first used in an archaeological context by Hasenstab (1983).
- 2.
Based on either stereoscopic satellite imagery, such as, SPOT, CORONA or LIDAR.
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IKONOS, Quickbird.
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Coordinated by the University of Birmingham; see www.arch-ant.bham.ac.uk/research/fieldwork_research_themes/projects/North_Sea_Palaeolandscapes/index.htm
- 5.
Strictly speaking, remote sensing refers to any technique whereby no physical contact is made between detecting device and the object of study. In this sense, geophysical prospection is also remote sensing, but the term is commonly used for prospection from the air or from space only.
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www.intrasis.com; other commercially available packages include ArcTron and AdLib.
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Rijksdienst voor Archeologie, Cultuurlandschap en Monumentenzorg, the national service for archaeology and monuments.
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chs.zuid-holland.nl
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Bouwhistorie, Archeologie, Architectuur- en Cultuurhistorie (a Dutch archaeological company).
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R.G. van Mousch (2007): Almelo, Indiëterrein. Archeologisch onderzoek (BAAC-rapport 06.401), ’s-Hertogenbosch
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Except a single volume of Journal of GIS in archaeology:
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Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) and the International Workshop on Archaeology and Computing in Vienna.
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Internet Archaeology and Archaeologia e Calcolatori.
- 18.
- 19.
- 20.
Obviously, this is only an approximation, since GIS is not mentioned in all relevant publication titles (e.g. GIS is SIG in French), Google scholar also lists the citations to the counted papers (hits include articles that do not have ‘GIS’ and ‘Archaeology’ in their title but cite articles that do), etc.
- 21.
ArcGIS 3D analyst works only with functional surfaces, but one can calculate volumes above or below certain reference polygons. ArcGIS also handles real solid surfaces through ‘multipatch’ surfaces, but this concerns 3D objects created with specific 3D modeling software. For more information, see e.g. http://www.esri.com/industries/mining/business/subsurface-modeling.pdf
- 22.
uch as Voxler; http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/voxler/voxler.shtml
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- 24.
- 25.
- 26.
The International Committee for Museum Documentation; see also http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/index.html
- 27.
E-depot Nederlanse Archeologie; http://edna.itor.org/nl
- 28.
- 29.
- 30.
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Wagtendonk, A.J., Verhagen, P., Soetens, S., Jeneson, K., de Kleijn, M. (2009). Past in Place: The Role of Geo-ICT in Present-day Archaeology. In: Scholten, H.J., van de Velde, R., van Manen, N. (eds) Geospatial Technology and the Role of Location in Science. GeoJournal Library, vol 96. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2620-0_5
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