| 1. |
- Batist, Zachary, et al.
(författare)
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Figurations of Digital Practice, Craft, and Agency in Two Mediterranean Fieldwork Projects
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 1731-1755
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archaeological practice is increasingly enacted within pervasive and invisible digital infrastructures, tools, and services that affect how participants engage in learning and fieldwork, and how evidence, knowledge, and expertise are produced. This article discusses the collective imaginings regarding the present and future of digital archaeological practice held by researchers working in two archaeological projects in the Eastern Mediterranean, who have normalized the use of digital tools and the adoption of digital processes in their studies. It is a part of E-CURATORS, a research project investigating how archaeologists in multiple contexts and settings incorporate pervasive digital technologies in their studies. Based on an analysis of qualitative interviews, we interpret the arguments advanced by study participants on aspects of digital work, learning, and expertise. We find that, in their sayings, participants not only characterize digital tools and workflows as having positive instrumental value, but also recognize that they may severely constrain the autonomy and agency of researchers as knowledge workers through the hyper-granularization of data, the erosion of expertise, and the mechanization of work. Participants advance a notion of digital archaeology based on do-it-yourself (DIY) practice and craft to reclaim agency from the algorithmic power of digital technology and to establish fluid, positional distribution of roles and agency, and mutual validation of expertise. Operating within discourses of labour vs efficiency, and technocracy vs agency, sayings, elicited within the archaeological situated practice in the wild, become doings, echoing archaeology's anxiety in the face of pervasive digital technology.
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| 2. |
- Blank, Malou, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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New Perspectives on the Late Neolithic of South-Western Sweden. An Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Gallery Grave Falköping Stad 5
- 2018
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 4:1, s. 1-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary study combining archaeology, osteology, and stable isotope analyses. The geological conditions and richness of megalithic graves in Falbygden is suitable for studies of Neolithic human remains. Nevertheless, the Late Neolithic period (2350-1700 BC) is poorly investigated. This paper explores new knowledge of the Late Neolithic megalithic population in Falbygden. In-depth osteological and archaeological studies focusing on a single gallery grave (Falkoping stad 5) were conducted. Radiocarbon dating and carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope analyses of teeth from twenty-one individuals revealed the time of the grave's use, as well as the subsistence and mobility practices of the buried individuals. The grave was already in use during the first part of the Late Neolithic and used into the second part of the period by individuals of different origin. Furthermore, the results indicated changing population dynamics in the Late Neolithic Falbygden, with increased human mobility, variability in subsistence strategies, and growing population density.
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| 3. |
- Börjesson, Lisa, 1985-
(författare)
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Legacy in the Making : A Knowledge Infrastructural Perspective on Systems for Archeological Information Sharing
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 1636-1647
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archeological research depends on a complex infrastructure of information systems and services built on different funding models. The information systems enable innovative approaches and progress in information making, but each system also organizes information by means of the system design, the structures, and relations established and the terminologies promoted. This article adopts a knowledge infrastructural perspective on systems used for information sharing in archeology. The purpose is first to expand the perspective on the systems for research information sharing in archeology and second to discuss the potential impact of the knowledge infrastructure on disciplinary knowledge-making, the shaping of archeological information, and legacy data. Based on an analysis of qualitative interviews (N = 31) with archeologists from Europe and the United States, the results show that the interviewees use sharing solutions developed within the archeology discipline as well as general information sharing systems. One important task for further research is to better understand how archeologists choose information sharing systems and how their choices impact what information they share. Also, information sharing for specific topics or with specific coverage appears to be developed with project funding outside of the more established sharing institutions. A key question for the infrastructural sustainability is how to support the inclusion of innovative sharing solutions in institutionalized sharing environments. The results emphasize the need for further studies of how information systems shape archeological legacy in the making, which in turn will support data literacy awareness and training.
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| 4. |
- Derudas, Paola, et al.
(författare)
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Expanding Field-Archaeology Education : The Integration of 3D Technology into Archaeological Training
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 556-573
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This contribution analyses and discusses the use of 3D technology in education and learning. Basing the discussion on a case study performed during two seasons of a field school for 1st-year archaeology students, we explore how to expand traditional didactic programs by developing and testing a web-based system for educational purposes. We examine how these technologies can be used as educational means and supporting tools during an excavation; how universities can incorporate these technologies into pedagogy. We investigate whether the combination of these technologies with a successful pedagogical theory could promote students’ comprehension of the reflexive approach and engagement with the interpretative process.We introduced the students to a complete excavation methodology, including excavation, documentation, data management, and interpretation. Alongside the traditional documentation, a digital approach was added, with 3D technologies and an Interactive Visualisation System that allows fully three-dimensional reasoning from the beginning and throughout the whole archaeological process. Preliminary results show that students easily incorporate 3D documentation into their toolbox for analysing and visualising the material and understand both the possibilities and limitations of the system. However, we identified some limitations in the students’ use of the system. Together with the students’ feedback, we will use them to develop it further and discuss its use in education.
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| 5. |
- Di Maida, Gianpiero, et al.
(författare)
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Digital Methods and Typology: New Horizons
- 2022
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 8:1, s. 1170-1172
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Typological analysis of archaeological artefacts has constituted the backbone of the discipline since its inception as a science in the modern sense (Adams & Adams, 1991). This enterprise though, which has engaged several generations of archaeologists from all branches and areas of expertise, did not come devoid of issues: especially its use as a tool to establish chronological sequences and to identify cultural entities and their characteristic material complexes, before (but also after) the advent of absolute methods of dating, has had the primary effect to contribute to the creation of categories (e.g., ethnical and/or cultural groups) that are still in use in the everyday practice of archaeological work and on whose dangers the research has warned from quite some time now (e.g., Jones, 1997). Despite this, due to a mix of hard-to-change habits, intrinsic difficulties connected to undertake large-scale projects and an undeniable concrete residual usefulness, these categories and classes have kept their place in the everyday practices of the discipline and have shown to be more resistant to substitution or abandonment than previously thought.
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| 6. |
- Ekengren, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Dynamic Collections : A 3D Web Infrastructure for Artifact Engagement
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 337-352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archaeological collections are crucial in heritage studies and are used every day for training archaeologists and cultural heritage specialists. The recent developments in 3D acquisition and visualization technology has contributed to the rapid emergence of a large number of 3D collections, whose production is often justified as the democratization of data and knowledge production. Despite the fact that several 3D datasets are now available online, it is not always clear how the data - once stored - may be engaged by archaeology students, and the possible challenges the students may face in the learning process. The goal of the Dynamic Collections project at Lund University is to develop a novel 3D web infrastructure designed to support higher education and research in archaeology. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, all teaching at Lund University moved online, reinforcing the urgency for such an infrastructure. By letting a group of students test an early version of the system as part of their online teaching, we were able to study how they used and interacted with an archaeological collection in 3D and explore the intersection of digital methods and pedagogy in archaeology. This article presents the preliminary results from this experiment.
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| 7. |
- Fahlander, Fredrik
(författare)
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The Relational Life of Trees. Ontological Aspects of Tree-Ness in the Early Bronze Age of Northern Europe
- 2018
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 4:1, s. 373-385
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the Early Bronze Age in northern Europe, tree-like features appear in henges, burials, and rock art in ways that differ from earlier periods. Rather than investigating this phenomenon in symbolic or metaphorical terms, a concept of tree-nes s is explored that focuses on the real constitution of trees and what trees actually do. It is suggested that the accentuation of tree-ness in Early Bronze Age ritual contexts can be related to an ontological shift in conjunction with emerging bronze technology in which different entities can merge or take advantage of each other's generative properties.
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| 8. |
- Goldhahn, Joakim, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Editorial
- 2020
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2300-6560. ; 6:1, s. 1-1
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 9. |
- Horn, Christian, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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A Boat Is a Boat Is a Boat…Unless It Is a Horse–Rethinking the Role of Typology
- 2022
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 8:1, s. 1218-1230
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Today, it is widely accepted that typology is a biased and inconsistent attempt to classify archaeological material based on the similarity of a predefined set of features. In this respect, machine learning (ML) works similar to typology. ML approaches are often deployed because it is thought that they reduce biases. However, biases are introduced into the process at many points, e.g., feature selection. In a project applying ML to Scandinavian rock art data, it was noticed that the algorithm struggles with classifying certain motifs correctly. This contribution discusses the consistency in applying biases by ML in contrast to the inconsistency of human classification. It is argued that it is necessary to bring machines and humans into a meaningful dialogue attempting to understand why apparent “misclassifications” happen. This is important to inform us about the classification output, our biases, and the rock art data, which are in themself inconsistent, ambiguous, and biased because they are the outcomes of human creativity. The human inconsistency is a necessary component because in rock art not everything that looks similar has a similar meaning.
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| 10. |
- Horn, Christian, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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By All Means Necessary – 2.5D and 3D Recording of Surfaces in the Study of Southern Scandinavian Rock Art
- 2018
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 4:1, s. 81-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Southern Scandinavia is Europe’s richest region in terms of figurative rock art. It is imperative to document this cultural heritage for future generations. To achieve this, researchers need to use the most objective recording methods available in order to eliminate human error and bias in the documentation. The ability to collect more data is better, not only for documentation, but also for research purposes. Recent years have seen the wider introduction of image based 2.5D and 3D modelling of rock art surfaces. These methods are Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), Structure from Motion (SfM), and Optical Laser Scanning (OLS). Importantly, these approaches record depth difference and the structure of engraved lines. Therefore, they have clear advantages over older methods such as frottage (rubbings) and tracing. Based on a number of short case studies, this paper argues that 2.5D and 3D methods should be used as a standard documentation techniques, but not in an exclusionary manner. The best documentation, enabling preservation and high-quality research, should employ all methods. Approaching rock art with all the research tools available we can re-appraise older documentation as well as investigate individual action and the transformation of rock art.
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| 11. |
- Huvila, Isto, Professor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Archaeological Practices and Societal Challenges
- 2022
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : De Gruyter Open. - 2300-6560. ; 8:1, s. 296-305
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archaeology and archaeological work are tightly linked to contemporary societal challenges. Archaeology has much to contribute to the understanding, contextualising and working out of global challenges from migration to environmental change. In parallel to how archaeology impacts society, the society, societal changes, and challenges impact archaeology and its public mission of preserving and interpreting the physical and curating the informational archaeological record. Similarly, they impact archaeological practices, that is how archaeology is done in practice. This article draws attention to the need to comprehend what the increasing diversity and multiplicity of links between archaeological practices, knowledge work, and contemporary societal challenges implies for the understanding of how archaeology is achieved and archaeological knowledge is produced. The discussion is based on input collected from 50 members of the COST Action Archaeological Practices and Knowledge Work in the Digital Environment (www.arkwork.eu) who shared their views on how archaeology can contribute to solving contemporary societal challenges and what societal changes and challenges are likely to affect the field of archaeology during the next 5 years. In addition to a continuing need to increase the understanding of archaeological practices and their implications, distilling the outcomes of the state of the art into shared, validated, and actionable lessons learned applicable for societal benefit remains another major challenge.
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| 12. |
- Huvila, Isto, Professor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Choreographies of Making Archaeological Data
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 1602-1617
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A lot of different concepts have been utilised to elucidate diverse aspects of archaeological practices and knowledge production. This article describes how the notion of choreography can complement the existing repertoire of concepts and be used to render visible the otherwise difficult to grasp physical and mental movements that make up archaeological work as a practical and scholarly exercise. The conceptual discussion in the article uses vignettes drawn from an observation study of an archaeological teaching excavation in Scandinavia to illustrate how the concepts of choreography, choreographing, and choreographer can be used to inquire into archaeological work and data production. In addition to how explicating physical, temporal, and ontological choreographies of archaeological work can help to understand how it unfolds, the present article suggests that a better understanding of the epistemic choreographies of archaeological, scientific, and scholarly work can help to unpack and describe its inputs and outputs, the data it produces, what the work achieves, and how it is made in space and time.
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| 13. |
- Larsson, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Animal Teeth and Mesolithic Society
- 2022
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 8:1, s. 55-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In several graves from the Mesolithic sites of Skateholm, South Sweden, animal teeth were found. Some of these teeth were used as beads in clothing. The strontium isotope analysis of 11 animal teeth is reported and discussed in comparison with human values from burials at the sites and baseline values from South Sweden. Roughly half of the animal teeth are nonlocal and from different places of origin. The beads themselves appear to carry symbolic information that may be related to the physical or social attributes of the wearer. This study involved a detailed investigation of the use-wear around the perforation and its relation to the local and nonlocal origin of the teeth.
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| 14. |
- Lauzikas, Rimvydas, et al.
(författare)
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Archaeological Knowledge Production and Global Communities : Boundaries and Structure of the Field
- 2018
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 4:1, s. 350-364
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archaeology and material cultural heritage enjoys a particular status as a form of heritage that, capturing the public imagination, has become the locus for the expression and negotiation of regional, national, and intra-national cultural identities. One important question is: why and how do contemporary people engage with archaeological heritage objects, artefacts, information or knowledge outside the realm of an professional, academically-based archaeology? This question is investigated here from the perspective of theoretical considerations based on Yuri Lotmans semiosphere theory, which helps to describe the connections between the centre and peripheries of professional archaeology as sign structures. The centre may be defined according to prevalent scientific paradigms, while periphery in the space of creolisation in which, through interactions with other culturally more distant sign structures, archaeology-related nonprofessional communities emerge. On the basis of these considerations, we use collocation analysis on representative English language corpora to outline the structure of the field of archaeology-related nonprofessional communities, identify salient creolised peripheral spaces and archaeology-related practices, and develop a framework for further investigation of archaeological knowledge production and reuse in the context of global archaeology.
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| 15. |
- Lorenzon, Marta, et al.
(författare)
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Earthen Architecture in Nordic Countries : Future Directions
- 2023
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : De Gruyter Open. - 2300-6560. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Throughout prehistory, earthen architecture has played a pivotal role in establishing a sustainable and easily maintainable built environment, showcasing humanity's capacity to design and construct intricate structures using eco-friendly and cost-effective materials. This special issue underscores the enduring significance of earthen architecture in our historical and contemporary understanding of sustainable building practices.
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| 16. |
- Mickleburgh, Hayley, et al.
(författare)
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Virtual Archaeology of Death and Burial : A Procedure for Integrating 3D Visualization and Analysis in Archaeothanatology
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 540-555
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The reconstruction of past mortuary rituals and practices increasingly incorporates analysis of the taphonomic history of the grave and buried body, using the framework provided by archaeothanatology. Archaeothanatological analysis relies on interpretation of the three-dimensional (3D) relationship of bones within the grave and traditionally depends on elaborate written descriptions and two-dimensional (2D) images of the remains during excavation to capture this spatial information. With the rapid development of inexpensive 3D tools, digital replicas (3D models) are now commonly available to preserve 3D information on human burials during excavation. A procedure developed using a test case to enhance archaeothanatological analysis and improve post-excavation analysis of human burials is described. Beyond preservation of static spatial information, 3D visualization techniques can be used in archaeothanatology to reconstruct the spatial displacement of bones over time, from deposition of the body to excavation of the skeletonized remains. The purpose of the procedure is to produce 3D simulations to visualize and test archaeothanatological hypotheses, thereby augmenting traditional archaeothanatological analysis. We illustrate our approach with the reconstruction of mortuary practices and burial taphonomy of a Bell Beaker burial from the site of Oostwoud-Tuithoorn, West-Frisia, the Netherlands. This case study was selected as the test case because of its relatively complete context information. The test case shows the potential for application of the procedure to older 2D field documentation, even when the amount and detail of documentation is less than ideal.
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| 17. |
- Ojala, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Northern Connections : Interregional Contacts in Bronze Age Northern and Middle Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 6:1, s. 151-171
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article examines northern connections in the Nordic Bronze Age, focusing on interregional contacts in middle and northern Sweden. In the article, we argue that it is important to incorporate a northern perspective in the discussions about the Scandinavian Bronze Age and its networks. We focus on the Malaren Valley region, especially the province of Uppland, and the northern parts of Sweden, in particular the coastal areas of northern Sweden. We discuss some aspects of the archaeological material, which have been used in earlier discussions of interregional contacts in middle and northern Sweden during the Bronze Age, such as the Haga mound outside of Uppsala, and burial cairns and bronze artefacts in northern Sweden. Furthermore, we discuss eastern contacts with areas in present-day Finland and Russia, and how these have been interpreted in middle and northern Sweden. In our view, there is a need to critically examine interregional contacts and the construction of regional entities and borders in the Bronze Age. In order to better understand the relations between north and south, it is necessary to critically examine the research history behind the present-day conceptions of regions and borders, as well as the political dimensions and power relations involved.
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| 18. |
- Opgenhaffen, Loes, et al.
(författare)
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Art, Creativity and Automation : From Charters to Shared 3D Visualization Practices
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 1648-1659
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, we introduce the themes of the Special Issue on Art, Creativity and Automation. Sharing 3D Visualization Practices in Archaeology, and present the most important outcomes of a roundtable session involving prominent researchers in the field, organized by the authors during the Archon Winter School in February 2020. By assessing the diversity of research aims, artistic projects, creative practices and technology used in the contributions to the Special Issue, and drawing on the thoughts and perspectives generated during the roundtable discussion, we seek to identify shared challenges within the community of visualizers which could ultimately pave the way to shared practices. In this light, we assess whether established charters and guidelines are still relevant in a now matured digital archaeology, where visualization techniques have attained a central position in archaeological knowledge production. Although parts of the guidelines have become common practice, the remainder did not keep up with the fast pace of development of digital practice and its current fundamental role in archaeology, and as a result some of the guidelines risk becoming obstructive in archaeological creative practice.
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| 19. |
- Richardson, Lorna-Jane, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Online tribes and digital authority : what can social theory bring to digital archaeology?
- 2017
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - Warsaw : De Gruyter Open. - 2300-6560. ; 3:1, s. 139-148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From early discussions of the disruptive potential of computer technologies for archaeological applications, to the present era of digital archaeology as the technical underpinning of modern archaeological practice, we have continued to debate the potential impacts of digital communication and digital capture and storage on our knowledge, profession and communications. The increased use of digital tools and methods for archaeological research and dissemination, as well as what Roosevelt (2015) has referred to as the shift to the digital paradigm within archaeological practice, leads us to suggest that the impact of this paradigm shift requires careful and critical examination. This article will examine the edges of the disciplines of archaeology and sociology, where we aim to advance our understanding of the relationship between digital technologies and archaeological knowledge from a uniquely social perspective, using the theoretical approaches of both classic and modern sociologists. The application of this lens of sociology to digital archaeology equips us to understand how archaeology and archaeological practice is situated in a social world, which is especially relevant in the Global West, where digital technology is ubiquitous. Through a critical consideration of the complexity of use of digital technologies within digital archaeology, we can begin to shift our focus away from the character and method of tools and workflow, to the background of intellectual power and influence.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Taylor, James, et al.
(författare)
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Skeuomorphism in digital archaeological practice : A barrier to progress, or a vital cog in the wheels of change?
- 2021
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Ingår i: Open Archaeology. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-6560. ; 7:1, s. 482-498
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drawing upon the author’s combined experiences of developing digital field workflows at the sites of Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Kämpinge in Sweden, this paper will discuss the role of skeuomorphism within the context of digital archaeological practice, and specifically, it will focus upon the ways that the use of digital technology affects the epistemological processes associated with fieldwork. In doing so it will examine whether common trends towards skeuomorphism in digital structure and practice may actually form an essential part of the process of ‘getting to grips’ with new digital technologies and shape a conceptual framework for this process. This framework will be discussed within the context of wider disciplinary trends and theory and ultimately a case will me made that skeuomorphism may need to be embraced if, as a discipline, we are going to explore the potential of emergent digital technologies to transform our digital practice in the long term
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