Archaeology has gone digital for some time now! Topics such as GIS databases, 3D models, drone photography, meta- and para-data, semantic mapping, text mining, simulation, and social network... Show moreArchaeology has gone digital for some time now! Topics such as GIS databases, 3D models, drone photography, meta- and para-data, semantic mapping, text mining, simulation, and social network analysis have become commonplace in archaeological discourse and practice. Digital and technological advancements seemingly offer limitless promises for data recording, analysis and dissemination. Yet, after several decades of innovation, we must ask ourselves which of these promises are actually fulfilled, and which persistent impasses are present. Today, some reflexive questions are more important than ever. In particular, when, how and why do our innovative archaeology tools fail? Do we approach our archaeological projects with a digital wand and (implicitly or explicitly) expect a magical solution? And when there is indeed a digital solution, at what expense does it come?In this volume, scholars and practitioners in the field discuss the state of the art, as well as the promises and impasses that digital approaches to archaeology entail. The authors discuss the current state of teaching digital archaeology, the societal impact of digital innovations, current issues in archaeological data management, promises and limitations of isotopic research and remote sensing techniques, and why subfields such as agent-based modelling and serious gaming struggle to keep momentum. Show less
The influence of monumental construction on its human and material surroundings can be explored excellently in the context of Late Middle and Late Bronze Age (LBA) Mycenaean Greece. The overall aim... Show moreThe influence of monumental construction on its human and material surroundings can be explored excellently in the context of Late Middle and Late Bronze Age (LBA) Mycenaean Greece. The overall aim of the ‘SETinSTONE’ project is precisely this: to assess if and how monumental building activities in LBA Greece impacted the political and socio-economic structures of the Mycenaean polities in the period between 1600 and 1100 BC, and how people responded to changes in these structures. We are especially concerned with the processes and practices that created such monumental and public works in the Aegean Late Middle to LBA Argolid and how these compare to contemporary structures from both Attica and Achaia. Show less
To consolidate their power, the Assyrian military founded numerous agricultural settlements in newly conquered areas. One such a settlement, a so-called dunnu, was discovered at Tell Sabi... Show more To consolidate their power, the Assyrian military founded numerous agricultural settlements in newly conquered areas. One such a settlement, a so-called dunnu, was discovered at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria. The settlement was relatively large and appears to have been heavily fortified. In this research the settlement was investigated to reveal what activities were played out inside and what its function was. This was achieved by analysing the objects which were left behind inside the various rooms and courtyards at the site. Also the way in which these objects were deposited was subject to rigorous investigation: were the objects for instance dumped as garbage or were they left behind during rapid abandonment following some catastrophe? Show less
Lacustrine localitieswere attractive environments for Palaeolithic hominins, since they provide a large and broad spectrumof resources. Moreover, they are excellent archives that allowfor high... Show moreLacustrine localitieswere attractive environments for Palaeolithic hominins, since they provide a large and broad spectrumof resources. Moreover, they are excellent archives that allowfor high-resolution environmental, chronological and archaeological analyses. However, these deposits are often subject to complex formation and postdepositional factors, including water-related processes. Evaluating the influence of hydrological processes in site formation is thus essential to more accurately reconstruct the duration, intensity and types of hominin behaviour within these environments. In this paper we present the orientation analysis of archaeological material from the Last Interglacial site Neumark-Nord 2, Germany. Orientation analysis was done using GIS to calculate the orientation of artefact from digital plans of the excavation surface, which were subsequently tested using circular statistics. The results of the orientation analysis are compared with a hydrological model to check the relation between preferred orientations and reconstructed areas of water flow and accumulation. Results suggest that low-energy hydrological processes could have affected certain areas of the find-bearing deposits at Neumark-Nord 2 but, overall, there is no evidence for either high-energy hydrological processes or a significant movement of parts of the archaeological assemblage. Show less
