Navigating the digital Limes
Transformative practices and challenges in Classical and Mediterranean archaeology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-17-12Keywords:
digital archaeology, digital practice, Skeumorphism of Practice, 3D visualizationAbstract
This paper examines the profound impact of digital technology on Classical and Mediterranean archaeology, with a focus on digital field recording and infrastructures. Using the “Skeuomorphism of Practice” framework, it traces the integration of technology into our existing methodologies. The Swedish Pompeii Project is used as a case study to illustrate the adoption of 3D models into traditional archaeological practices. While highlighting the benefits, the paper also addresses the tensions between traditional and digital methods. As archaeological practices increasingly generate digital data, the role of infrastructures as collaborative hubs is emphasized. The study questions the adequacy of current pedagogy in preparing students for the digital and technological landscapes and argues for continued critical reflection on the impact of technology.
Downloads
References
Boyd, M.J., R. Campbell, R.C.P. Doonan, C. Douglas, G. Gavalas, M. Gkouma, C. Halley, B. Hartzler, J.A. Herbst, H.R. Indgjerd, A. Krijnen, I. Legaki, E. Margaritis, N. Meyer, I. Moutafi, N.P. Iliou, D.A. Wylie & C. Renfrew 2021. ‘Open area, open data. Advances in reflexive archaeological practice’, Journal of Field Archaeology 46:2, 62–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2020.1859780 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2020.1859780
Brughmans, T. & M.A. Peeples 2023. Network science in archaeology, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170659 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170659
Campanaro, D.M. 2023. ‘Coming to light. Illuminating the House of the Greek Epigrams in Pompeii’, AJA 127:2, 263–292. https://doi.org/10.1086/723393 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/723393
Caraher, W. 2019. ‘Slow archaeology, punk archaeology, and the “archaeology of care”’, European Journal of Archaeology 22:3, 372–385. https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2019.15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2019.15
Casana, J., D.D. Goodman & C. Ferwerda 2023. ‘A wall or a road? A remote sensing-based investigation of fortifications on Rome’s eastern frontier’, Antiquity 97:396, 1516–1533. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.153 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.153
Clark, A. & D. Chalmers 1998. ‘The extended mind’, Analysis 58:1, 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003347800057972 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/58.1.7
Dell’Unto, N. & G. Landeschi 2022. Archaeological 3D GIS, London. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003034131 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003034131
Dell’Unto, N., G. Landeschi, A.-M. Leander Touati, M. Dellepiane, M. Callieri & D. Ferdani 2015. ‘Experiencing ancient buildings from a 3D GIS perspective. A case drawn from the Swedish Pompeii Project’, Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 23:1, 73–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-014-9226-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-014-9226-7
Derudas, P., F. Nurra & A. Svensson 2023. ‘New AIR for the archaeological process? The use of 3D web semantic for publishing archaeological reports’, Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage 16:3, 1–28. Article 57. https://doi.org/10.1145/3594722 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3594722
Forte, M., ed. 2010. Cyber-archaeology (BAR-IS 2177), Oxford. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407307213
Forte, M. & A. Silotti, eds 1997. Virtual archaeology. Re‑creating ancient worlds, New York.
Frischer, B. 2008. ‘From digital illustration to digital heuristics’, in Beyond illustration. 2D and 3D digital technologies as tools for discovery in archaeology (BAR IS 1805), eds B. Frischer & A. Dakouri-Hild, Oxford, v–xxiv. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407302928
Frischer, B. & J. Fillwalk 2013. ‘A computer simulation to test the Buchner thesis. The relationship of the Ara Pacis and the meridian in the Campus Martius, Rome’, in 2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage) vol. 1, Marseille, 341–345. https://doi.org/10.1109/digitalheritage.2013.6743758 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/DigitalHeritage.2013.6743758
Garstki, K.J., C. Larkee & J. LaDisa 2019. ‘A role for immersive visualization experiences in teaching archaeology’, Studies in Digital Heritage 3:1, 46–59. https://doi.org/10.14434/sdh.v3i1.25145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14434/sdh.v3i1.25145
Gillings, M. 1999. ‘Engaging place. Exploring the potential of VR in experiential landscape studies’, in Archaeology in the age of the internet, eds L. Dingwall, S. Exon, V. Gaffney, S. Lafflin & M. van Leusen, Oxford, 247–254.
Gillings, M., P. Hacıgüzeller & G. Lock, eds 2020. Archaeological spatial analysis. A methodological guide, London. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351243858 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351243858
Hilditch, J., C. Jeffra & L. Opgenhaffen 2021. ‘The Tracing the Potter’s Wheel Project (TPW). An integrated archaeological investigation of the potter’s wheel in the Bronze Age Aegean’, Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica. Natural Sciences in Archaeology 12:2, 345–355. https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2021.2.17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2021.2.17
Huggett, J. 2017. ‘The apparatus of digital archaeology’, Internet Archaeology 44. https://doi.org10.11141/ia.44.7
Huggett, J. 2023. ‘Deconstructing the digital infrastructures supporting archaeological knowledge’, Current Swedish Archaeology 31:1, 11–38. https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2023.01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2023.01
Katsianis, M., K. Kotsakis & F. Stefanou 2021. ‘Reconfiguring the 3D excavation archive. Technological shift and data remix in the archaeological project of Paliambela Kolindros, Greece’, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 36, 102857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102857 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102857
Kristiansen, K. 2014. ‘Towards a new paradigm? The third science revolution and its possible consequences in archaeology’, Current Swedish Archaeology 22:1, 11–34. https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2014.01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2014.01
Landeschi, G. & E. Betts, eds 2023. Capturing the senses. Digital methods for sensory archaeologies, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23133-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23133-9
Leander Touati, A.-M. 2024. ‘Building the social. A query into the societal impact of the Pompeian water supply’, OpAthRom 17, 167–214. https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-17-09 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-17-09
Leander Touati, A.-M., T. Staub & R. Forsell 2021. ‘From 2D and 3D documentation to 4D interpretation. Building archaeological conclusions and workflow strategies gained by remote study of Insula V 1, Pompeii’, OpAthRom 14, 181–226. https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-14-11 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-14-11
Moreno Escobar, M.D.C. 2022. ‘Roman ports in the Lower Tiber Valley: Computational approaches to reassess Rome’s port system’, PBSR 90: 109–138. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068246221000271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068246221000271
Morgan, C. & H. Wright 2018. ‘Pencils and pixels. Drawing and digital media in archaeological field recording’, Journal of Field Archaeology 43:2, 136–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2018.1428488 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2018.1428488
Östborn, P. & H. Gerding. 2023. ‘Inference from archaeological similarity networks’, in The Oxford handbook of archaeological network research, eds T. Brughmans, B.J. Mills, J. Munson & M.A. Peeples, Oxford, 67–83. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198854265.001.0001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198854265.013.4
Pedersen, E.O. & M. Brincker 2021. ‘Philosophy and digitization. Dangers and possibilities in the new digital worlds’, SATS—Northern European Journal of Philosophy 22:1, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1515/sats-2021-0006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sats-2021-0006
Poehler, E. 2016. ‘Digital Pompeii: Dissolving the fieldwork-library research divide’, in Mobilizing the past, eds A. Averett, J. Gordon & D. Counts, Fargo, 205–222.
Reilly, P. 1991. ‘Towards a virtual archaeology’, in Computer applications in archaeology, eds S. Rahtz, & K. Lockyear, Oxford, 133–139.
Renfrew, C. 1997. ‘Foreword’, in Virtual archaeology. Re‑creating ancient worlds, eds M. Forte & A. Silotti, New York, 7.
Taylor, J. & N. Dell’Unto 2021. ‘Skeumorphism in digital archaeological practice. A barrier to progress, or a vital cog in the wheels of change?’, Open Archaeology 7:1, 482–498. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0145
Zubrow, E. 2006. ‘Digital archaeology: The historical context’, in Digital archaeology. Bridging method and theory, eds T. Evans & P. Daly, London & New York, 10–31.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Swedish Institute at Athens, Swedish Institute of Classical Studies in Rome , and authorsVolumes 16–18 (2023–2025): All text is published with immediate open access under the Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0. All images are used with permission from the rights holders, credited in the captions, and explicitly excluded from the CC BY license.
Copyright: Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, and the authors.
Volumes 1–15 (2008–2022): These issues were made openly available as PDFs six months after the printed edition was published. No Creative Commons license applies to these volumes.
Copyright: Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, and the authors.
