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31 Dec 2024
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The Physics and Metaphysics of Classification in Archaeology

The “Beast Within” – Querying the (Cultural Evolutionary) Status of Types in Archaeology

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO, and ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Edward B. Banning and 2 anonymous reviewers

“On the Physics and Metaphysics of Classification in Archaeology” by M. Okumura and A.G.M. Araujo (1) is a welcome contribution to our upcoming edited volume on type-thinking and the uses and misuses of archaeological typologies. Questions of type-delineation and classification of archaeological materials have recently re-emerged as key arenas of scholarly attention and interrogation (2–4), as many researchers have turned to a matured field of cultural evolutionary studies (5–7) and as fine-grained archaeological data and novel computational-quantitative methods have becomes increasingly available in recent years (8, 9). Re-assessing the utility and significance of traditional archaeological types has also become pertinent as macro-scale approaches to the past have grown progressive to the centre of the discipline (10, 11), promising not only to ‘re-do’ typology ‘from the ground up’, but also to put types and typological systems to novel and powerful use, and in the process illuminate the many understudied large-scale dynamics of human cultural evolution which are so critical to understanding our species’ venture on this planet. As such, the promise is colossal yet it requires a solid analytical base, as many have insisted (e.g., 12). Types are often identified as such foundational analytical units, and much therefore hinges on the robust identification and differentiation of types within the archaeological record. Typo-praxis – the practice of delineating and constructing types and to harness them to learn about the archaeological record – is therefore also increasingly seen as a key ingredient of what Hussain and Soressi (13) have dubbed the ‘basic science’ claim of lithic research within human origins or broader (deep-time) evolutionary studies.

The stakes are accordingly incredibly high, yet as Okumura and Araujo point out there is still no need to ‘re-invent the wheel’ as there is a rich literature on classification and systematics in the biological sciences, from which archaeologists can draw and benefit. Some of this literature was indeed already referenced by some archaeologists between the 1960s and early 2000s when first attempts were undertaken to integrate Darwinian evolutionary theory into processual archaeological practice (14, 15). It may be argued that much of this literature and its insights – including its many conceptual and terminological clarifications – have been forgotten or sidelined in archaeology primarily because the field has witnessed a pronounced ‘cultural turn’ beginning in the early 2000s, with even processualists expanding their research portfolio to include what was previously considered post-processual terrain (16, 17). Michelle Hegmon’s (16) ‘processualism plus’ was perhaps the most emphatic expression of this trajectory within the influential Anglo-American segments of the profession. Okumura and Araujo are therefore to be applauded for their attempt to draw attention again to this literature in an effort to re-activate it for contemporary research efforts at the intersection of cultural evolutionary and computational archaeology. Decisions need to be made on the way, of course, and the authors defend a theory-guided (and largely theory-driven) approach, for example insisting on the importance of understanding the metaphysical status of types as arbitrary kinds. Their chapter is hence also a contribution (some may say intervention) to the long-standing tension between the tyranny of data vs. the tyranny of theory in type-construction. They clearly take side with those who argue that typo-praxis cannot evade its metaphysical nature – i.e., it will always be concerned (to some extent at least) with uncovering basic metaphysical principles of the world, even if the link between types and world is not understood as a simple mapping function. Carving the investigated archaeological realities ‘at their joints’ remains an overarching ambition from this perspective. Following Okumura and Araujo, archaeologists interested in these matters therefore cannot avoid to become part-time metaphysicians.

Okumura and Araujo’s contribution is timely and it brings key issues of debate to archaeological attention, and many of these issues tellingly overlap substantially with foundational debates in the philosophy of science (e.g. monism vs. pluralism, essentialism vs. functionalism, and so forth). Their chapter also showcases how critical (both in an enabling and limiting way) biological metaphors such as ‘species’ are (see esp. the discussion of ‘species as sets’ vs. ‘species as individuals’) for their and cognate projects. Whether such metaphors are justified in the context of human action is a longstanding point of contention, and other archaeologies – for example those with decidedly relational, ontological, and post-humanist aspirations – have developed very different optics (see e.g. 18, esp. Chapter 6). This being said, Okumura and Araujo’s contribution will be essential for those interested in (re-)learning about the ‘physics and metaphysics’ of archaeological classification and their chapter will be an excellent place to start with such engagement.

 

References

1. M. Okumura and A. G. M. Araujo (2024) The Physics and Metaphysics of Classification in Archaeology. Zenodo, ver.3 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7515797

2. F. Riede (2017) “The ‘Bromme problem’ – notes on understanding the Federmessergruppen and Bromme culture occupation in southern Scandinavia during the Allerød and early Younger Dryas chronozones” in Problems in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Research, pp. 61–85.

3. N. Reynolds and F. Riede (2019) House of cards: cultural taxonomy and the study of the European Upper Palaeolithic. Antiquity 93, 1350–1358. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2019.49 

4. R. L. Lyman  (2021) On the Importance of Systematics to Archaeological Research: the Covariation of Typological Diversity and Morphological Disparity. J Paleo Arch 4, 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-021-00077-6

5.  A. Mesoudi (2011) Cultural Evolution: How Darwinian Theory Can Explain Human Culture and Synthesize the Social Sciences, University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/9780226520452

6. N. Creanza, O. Kolodny and M. W. Feldman (2017) Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, 7782–7789. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620732114

7. R. Boyd and P. J. Richerson (2024) Cultural evolution: Where we have been and where we are going (maybe). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121, e2322879121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322879121

8. F. Riede, D. N. Matzig, M. Biard, P. Crombé, J. F.-L. de Pablo, F. Fontana, D. Groß, T. Hess, M. Langlais, L. Mevel, W. Mills, M. Moník, N. Naudinot, C. Posch, T. Rimkus, D. Stefański, H. Vandendriessche and S. T. Hussain (2024) A quantitative analysis of Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy and evolution in Europe. PLOS ONE 19, e0299512, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299512

9. L. Fogarty, A. Kandler, N. Creanza and M. W. Feldman (2024) Half a century of quantitative cultural evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121, e2418106121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2418106121

10. A. M. Prentiss, M. J. Walsh, E. Gjesfjeld, M. Denis and T. A. Foor (2022) Cultural macroevolution in the middle to late Holocene Arctic of east Siberia and north America. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 65, 101388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2021.101388

11. C. Perreault (2023) Guest Editorial. Antiquity 97, 1369–1380.

12. F. Riede, C. Hoggard and S. Shennan (2019) Reconciling material cultures in archaeology with genetic data requires robust cultural evolutionary taxonomies. Palgrave Commun 5, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0260-7

13. S. T. Hussain and M. Soressi (2021) The Technological Condition of Human Evolution: Lithic Studies as Basic Science. J Paleo Arch 4, 25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-021-00098-1

14. R. C. Dunnell (1978) Style and Function: A Fundamental Dichotomy. American Antiquity 43, 192–202.

15. R. C. Dunnell (2002) Systematics in Prehistory, Illustrated Edition, The Blackburn Press.

16. M. Hegmon (2003) Setting Theoretical Egos Aside: Issues and Theory in North American Archaeology. American Antiquity 68, 213–243. https://doi.org/10.2307/3557078

17. R. Torrence (2001) “Hunter-gatherer technology: macro- and microscale approaches” in Hunter-Gatherers: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Cambridge University Press.

18. C. N. Cipolla, R. Crellin and O. J. T. Harris (2024) Archaeology for today and tomorrow, Routledge.

The Physics and Metaphysics of Classification in ArchaeologyMercedes Okumura, Astolfo G. M. Araujo<p>The placement of physical phenomena studied by archaeologists in a sense-making system by means of some sort of arrangement is one of the oldest practices within the profession. Even so, despite the large supply of theoretical models and fashio...South America, Theoretical archaeologyShumon Tobias Hussain2023-01-12 16:36:16 View
09 Dec 2024
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Latest updates on the study of the Middle Palaeolithic Lithic assemblages of Cardina- Salto do Boi site (Côa Valley, Portugal)

Fresh insights into the Middle Paleolithic of the Côa Valley (Portugal) and the importance of quartz

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Marta Arzarello, Davide Delpiano and 1 anonymous reviewer

The Middle Palaeolithic period represents a crucial phase in the Prehistory of Europe, marked by the dominance of Neanderthal populations and their adaptive strategies. In Portugal, this period is characterized by a wealth of archaeological sites that provide valuable insights into the lifeways, technology, and environmental adaptations of its inhabitants (Aubry et al., 2011; J. L. Cardoso & Cascalheira, 2024; Cascalheira et al., 2022; Zilhão, 2001; Zilhão et al., 2021). One of the most significant is Gruta da Figueira Brava, located near the modern coastline: recent research has highlighted its role as a key site for understanding coastal adaptation by Neanderthals (Zilhão et al., 2020). Almonda Cave System is another pivotal area (Marks et al., 2001; Marks et al., 1994), offering a long stratigraphic sequence that includes Middle Palaeolithic layers . A prominent site is also and Foz do Enxarrique (Cunha et al., 2019), rich in lithic artifacts indicating a reliance on local hunting and foraging . The lithic technology of the Middle Palaeolithic in Portugal is largely characterized by the widespread use of the Levallois method, with variations reflecting local adaptations and raw material availability. Quartz, quartzite and flint were commonly used, indicating a strategic selection of materials based on functionality and proximity.

The Côa Valley, located in northern Portugal, is renowned for its rich archaeological record spanning from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Upper Palaeolithic (Aubry et al., 2012, 2016). The region’s significance lies not only in its rock art but also in its evidence of human occupation and technological development during the Pleistocene. Middle Palaeolithic sites in the Côa Valley are characterized by lithic assemblages associated with Neanderthal populations. These sites reveal a predominance of quartzite and flint tools, typical of Middle Palaeolithic technology. Excavations at sites like Cardina-Salto do Boi have uncovered stratified deposits with stone tools and faunal remains, shedding light on subsistence strategies and mobility patterns. As shown by the work presented by Patricia Ramos & Thierry Aubry, the tools from these layers exhibit a range of core reduction techniques, including Levallois flaking. The chosen approach for studying the lithic assemblage emphasizes the significance of raw materials in defining the technological behaviours employed by Neanderthal groups. Specifically, the study highlights the intensive use of quartz as a primary resource. The classification of different types of quartz, based on defined criteria and categories, reveals variations in material selection and technological practices across the analysed layers. This detailed analysis allows for a deeper interpretation of the technological strategies adopted by Neanderthal groups at the Cardina-Salto do Boi site. The work of Patricia Ramose and Thierry Aubry demonstrates how the Middle Palaeolithic record of the Côa Valley continues to provide interesting insights into Neanderthal life in the Iberian Peninsula. 

 

References

Aubry, T., Barbosa, A. F., Luís, L., Santos, A. T., and Silvestre, M. (2016). Quartz use in the absence of flint: Middle and Upper Palaeolithic raw material economy in the Côa Valley (North-eastern Portugal). Quaternary International, 424, 113–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.11.067

Aubry, T., Dimuccio, L. A., Almeida, M., Neves, M. J., Angelucci, D. E., and Cunha, L. (2011). Palaeoenvironmental forcing during the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition in central-western Portugal. Quaternary Research, 75, 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2010.11.002

Aubry, T., Luís, L., Llach, J. M., and Matias, H. (2012). We will be known by the tracks we leave behind: Exotic lithic raw materials, mobility and social networking among the Côa Valley foragers (Portugal). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 31(4), 528–550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2012.05.003

Cardoso, J. L., and Cascalheira, J. (2024). 40,000 years later: what we know about the presence of Neanderthals in Portuguese territory and their extinction. Academia das Ciências de Lisboa. https://doi.org/10.58164/qhdw-y588

Cascalheira, J., Gonçalves, C., and Maio, D. (2022). The spatial patterning of Middle Palaeolithic human settlement in westernmost Iberia. Journal of Quaternary Science, 37(2), 291–299. https://doi.org/10.1002/JQS.3286

Cunha, P. P., Martins, A. A., Buylaert, J. P., Murray, A. S., Gouveia, M. P., Font, E., Pereira, T., Figueiredo, S., Ferreira, C., Bridgland, D. R., Yang, P., Stevaux, J. C., and Mota, R. (2019). The lowermost Tejo River terrace at Foz do Enxarrique, Portugal: A palaeoenvironmental archive from c. 60–35 ka and its implications for the last Neanderthals in westernmost Iberia. Quaternary, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/quat2010003

Marks, A. E., Bich, N., Ferring, C. R., and Zilhão, J. (1994). Upper pleistocene prehistory in portuguese estremadura: Results of preliminary research. Journal of Field Archaeology, 21(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1179/JFA.1994.21.1.53

Marks, A., Monigal, K., and Zilhão, J. (2001). The lithic assemblages of the Late Mousterian at Gruta de Oliveira, Almonda, Portugal. Trabalhos de Arquelogia, 17, 145–154.

Patrícia O. S. Ramos, and Thierry J. Aubry (2024) Latest updates on the study of the Middle Palaeolithic Lithic assemblages of Cardina- Salto do Boi site (Côa Valley, Portugal) . OSF preprints, ver. 11 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/s3jd2

Zilhão, J. (2001). Middle Paleolithic settlement patterns in Portugal. In N. Conard (Ed.), Settlement dynamics of the Middle Palaeolithic and Middle Stone Age (pp. 597–608). Kerns Verlag.

Zilhão, J., Angelucci, D. E., Araújo Igreja, M., Arnold, L. J., Badal, E., Callapez, P., Cardoso, J. L., d’Errico, F., Daura, J., Demuro, M., Deschamps, M., Dupont, C., Gabriel, S., Hoffmann, D. L., Legoinha, P., Matias, H., Monge Soares, A. M., Nabais, M., Portela, P., … Souto, P. (2020). Last Interglacial Iberian Neandertals as fisher-hunter-gatherers. Science, 367(6485). https://doi.org/10.1126/SCIENCE.AAZ7943

Zilhão, J., Angelucci, D. E., Arnold, L. J., d’Errico, F., Dayet, L., Demuro, M., Deschamps, M., Fewlass, H., Gomes, L., Linscott, B., Matias, H., Pike, A. W. G., Steier, P., Talamo, S., and Wild, E. M. (2021). Revisiting the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic archaeology of Gruta do Caldeirão (Tomar, Portugal). PLoS ONE, 16(10 October). https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0259089

 

Latest updates on the study of the Middle Palaeolithic Lithic assemblages of Cardina- Salto do Boi site (Côa Valley, Portugal) Patrícia O. S. Ramos, Thierry J. Aubry<p>Cardina-Salto do Boi (Guarda, Portugal) is one of the few studied sites with Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the Côa Valley. These span MIS 6 to MIS 3, which constitutes a favourable circumstance for studying dwelling dynamics diachronically...Lithic technology, Middle PalaeolithicSara Daffara2024-03-30 10:16:56 View
07 Nov 2024
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Underwater Drones as a Low-Cost, yet Powerful Tool for Underwater Archaeological Mapping: Case Studies from the Mediterranean

Underwater drones and semi-automatic SfM, a challenge for underwater archaeology, or are we already there?

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Jitte Waagen and 1 anonymous reviewer

Anything related to underwater archaeology, either survey, excavation, or documentation processes, poses important challenges that were already once tackled and overcome in ground archaeology. While the archaeological and historical goals of researching the underwater heritage have already been defined and studied in the last decades, i.e. maritime economy, archaeology of harbour constructions, or life within ancient vessels, some of the methodological aspects that we consider normal in the surface are still a matter of concern for underwater archaeologists. Most of these issues are related to a general question: how to acquire geospatial data below the surface. That question related to the problem of acquiring spatial data with GPS data that could be analysed through established tools such as GIS. One could get spatial data with relative positions. However, it has to be inserted in a GIS using a projection.

Drones and GPS are one of the most significant archaeological documentation advances in the last decades. Both systems have become available due to the popularisation of affordable systems and software and the widespread use of GPS for civil uses. Recently, different scholars (Campana, 2017; Stek, 2016; Verhoeven et al., 2021; Waagen, 2019) have elaborated on the use of drones in (Mediterranean) archaeology and beyond. Nevertheless, once one starts working in a completely different setting as underwater archaeology, the need to answer the same methodological questions emerges one more time. How to create digital models of the (sea bottom) surface that could be useful to answer archaeological questions? Those questions could be posed in intra-site contexts (shipwrecks) of “submerged landscape” contexts, like a harbour context, an anchorage area, or a bay used through the past due to favourable conditions.

The paper by Diamanti and colleagues (2024) tackles these issues related to drone-based SfM in underwater archaeology. First, they introduced, albeit generally, drone imagery in archaeology to jump into the evolution of drone technology and its applications to marine archaeology. In this section, the main issues regarding the application of drones underwater are familiar to drone practitioners, such as payload capacity, portability, or affordability; other problems are mostly related to underwater devices, such as dive keep, real-time assessment or positioning using USBL (Ultra short baseline). 

Diamanti and colleagues present two study cases stemming from an ongoing project conducted in the Phournoi archipelago in the North Aegean Sea, Greece. The first study case is a Late Roman/ Early Byzantine shipwreck, and the second case study is an anchorage area. Both cases are relevant to the paper's overall scope and fit the reader's interest in how to apply underwater drone archaeology in a site context, the shipwreck, and in a broad context/ landscape, the anchorage point. The former a fascinating topic that has been tackled systematically in other areas of the Mediterranean sea (Quevedo et al., 2024)

I won’t explain both cases deeply, but both demonstrate the capabilities of drone-based SfM in underwater contexts. The authors use different devices with different cameras and make an interesting comparison with diver-based 3D models, perhaps the most used method to produce orthophotography of the sea-bottom surface for more than half a century (Drap, 2012; Yamafune et al., 2017). The authors lost a good opportunity to present a more exhaustive comparison of dive-based and drone-based SfM results besides the textual explanation. As a reviewer commented a summary table with camera characteristics and data from the processing results could have given way more depth to that interesting analysis. The authors present a workflow of the process when dealing with complex technological elements, starting with the hardware components such as drones, USBL, and cameras, and the software component of the process, from frame extraction to SfM. This addition contributes to the reproducibility of methodologies, as it is expected from methodological paper as this one. Kudos for that.

In general, Diamani et al.'s paper is a valuable contribution to understanding the impact of drone surveys underwater. It offers information about two relevant study cases that could be used as paradigms for upcoming innovation in underwater archaeology. The recommendation remains to elaborate further on the comparative perspective as the only way to make the research truly innovative.

References

Campana, S., 2017. Drones in Archaeology. State-of-the-art and Future Perspectives. Archaeol. Prospect. 24, 275–296. https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1569

Diamanti, E., Ødegård, Ø., Mentogiannis, V. and Koutsouflakis, G. (2024) Underwater Drones as a Low-Cost, yet Powerful Tool for Underwater Archaeological Mapping: Case Studies from the Mediterranean. Zenodo, ver.3 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13460949

Drap, P., 2012. Underwater Photogrammetry for Archaeology, in: Special Applications of Photogrammetry. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/33999

Quevedo, A., Aragón, E., de Dios Hernández García, J., Rodríguez Pandozi, J., Mukai, T., Segura, A., Bellviure, J. and Muñoz Yesares, R., 2024. Isla del Fraile. Reconstructing Coastal Dynamics in Southeastern Spain Through Underwater Archaeological Survey. Archaeol. Prospect. 31, 149–170. https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1937

Stek, T., 2016. Drones over Mediterranean landscapes. The potential of small UAV’s (drones) for site detection and heritage management in archaeological survey projects: A case study from Le Pianelle in the Tappino Valley, Molise (Italy). J. Cult. Herit. 1066–1071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2016.06.006

Verhoeven, G., Cowley, D. and Traviglia, A., 2021. Archaeological Remote Sensing in the 21st Century: (Re)Defining Practice and Theory. https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-1376-8 

Waagen, J., 2019. New technology and archaeological practice. Improving the primary archaeological recording process in excavation by means of UAS photogrammetry. J. Archaeol. Sci. 101, 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2018.10.011

Yamafune, K., Torres, R. and Castro, F., 2017. Multi-Image Photogrammetry to Record and Reconstruct Underwater Shipwreck Sites. J. Archaeol. Method Theory 24, 703–725. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-016-9283-1

Underwater Drones as a Low-Cost, yet Powerful Tool for Underwater Archaeological Mapping: Case Studies from the MediterraneanEleni Diamanti, Øyvind Ødegård, Vasilis Mentogiannis, George Koutsouflakis<p>This paper investigates the transformative impact of micro-class Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), commonly known as underwater drones, on underwater archaeological mapping. With advancements in Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) technology lea...Computational archaeology, Remote sensing, Spatial analysisJesus Garcia Sanchez2024-08-28 19:50:39 View
18 Oct 2024
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Virtual Reality Tours as an Immersive Approach to Archaeology in Higher Education

A roadmap for implementing VR-based teaching courses in archaeology

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by 3 anonymous reviewers

Virtual Reality (VR), as a component of Extended Reality (XR), enables the visualization and exploration of archaeological sites and artifacts that are otherwise inaccessible or lost due to time, decay, or physical access constraints. As is common in archaeology, when a new technology becomes available, it is incorporated into the archaeologist's toolbox, but there remains a need to identify workflows and best practices.
The paper entitled 'Virtual Reality Tours as an Immersive Approach to Archaeology in Higher Education,' authored by Robert Stephan, Aviva Doery, and Caleb Simmons, presents a significant scholarly contribution to the practical integration of VR (360-degree recordings) in college archaeology courses, starting with the upcoming course titled 'Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece.' The manuscript includes a well-structured and up-to-date literature review and a relevant discussion on enhancing accessibility to international study experiences through VR technology. It explicitly outlines the phases of the project yet to be implemented and details the steps for implementing VR in educational settings, from device requirements to the evaluation of knowledge acquisition, including equipment cost and technological accessibility. The paper demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the broader implications of integrating such technologies into mainstream curricula. 
Although the reusability of geolocated and timestamped 360-degree recordings is not directly addressed, this paper serves as a solid handbook and a valuable roadmap for researchers and educators aiming to establish VR-based teaching projects in archaeology.

References

Robert Stephan, Aviva Doery, Caleb Simmons (2024) Virtual Reality Tours as an Immersive Approach to Archaeology in Higher Education. Zenodo, ver.3 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13255252

Virtual Reality Tours as an Immersive Approach to Archaeology in Higher EducationRobert Stephan, Aviva Doery, Caleb Simmons<p>In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a powerful technology with the potential to impact higher education. This paper examines the use of VR as a teaching tool in college classrooms, with a specific focus on its ability to provid...Antiquity, Classic, Europe, Mediterranean, Theoretical archaeologyThomas Huet2024-08-07 16:28:41 View
09 Oct 2024
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Experiences from the BItFROST Project: Developing a 3D repository at the Museum of Cultural History

Keeping 3D data usable - the BitFROST project

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Alphaeus Lien-Talks and 1 anonymous reviewer

3D technologies are now standard methods for documenting artefacts and archaeological sites. In order to make the resulting digital cultural heritage accessible to current and future generations, a long-term approach to data management is required, with continuous adjustments and consideration of the changing needs of the users. This is the conclusion of the authors Bonelli and colleagues [1], who present a project in which such a holistic approach was applied in practice.

Introduced is the BitFROST platform (Bridging Research Across Heritage Studies) of the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. This self-hosted platform has been in existence since 2021 and is dedicated to optimising the long-term storage and reuse of 3D data. The project arose from the museum's legal obligations and long tradition of keeping archaeological information usable. The platform was developed with explicit consideration of user feedback to fulfil the different expectations and needs at an early stage. The BitFROST project is therefore a wonderful illustration of how change management should be practised.

The article repeatedly provides brief insights into the functionalities and best practices of the platform but is particularly impressive due to its in-depth contextualisation within the state-of-the-art of digital data management. The authors show a high level of expertise and provide numerous references to further literature. The results of the user feedback are also extensively analysed, and it is explained how, for example, individual technical competence or institutional awareness lead to a great diversity of needs and how this can be counteracted with cooperation, ongoing training and continuous development (as mentioned above).

I recommend this article as a very interesting case study and a well-researched white paper on complex digital data management.

References

Bonelli L., Pantos G. A.s, Indgjerd H., Uleberg E. (2024) Experiences from the BItFROST Project. Zenodo, ver.5 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8310062

Experiences from the BItFROST Project: Developing a 3D repository at the Museum of Cultural HistoryPantos George Alexis, Bonelli Letizia, Indgjerd Hallvard, Uleberg Espen<p>The Museum of Cultural History has been maintaining records and publishing its catalogues since the early 19th century. In recent years the institution has been working to improve data standardisation through adoption of common vocabularies, an...EuropeKristin Kruse2023-09-01 22:33:23 View
09 Sep 2024
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The Games of our People. Analysing Populist Nationalist Rhetorics of the Past in Historical Games

A framework for the analysis of populist nationalist rhetorics in historical games

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Angus Mol, Aris Politopoulos and 1 anonymous reviewer

This paper by Visonà and Cassone (2024) looks on historic video games and populist national rhetoric of the past with the goal of understanding the political implications of historical games today. Based on the works of Chapman et al. (2017) and Reinhard (2018), the paper focuses on political rhetoric and the possibility to provide forms of friction or alternative historical experiences. The paper wants to present an analytical framework to investigate these possibilities in video games and is structured into four parts.

Part 1 (history and digital games) gives a short introduction into the topic of archaeogaming and the development in researching different aspects of video games. It also briefly introduces into the mechanics of knowledge transfer (see also Giere 2019). Part 2 (populist nationalism and the construction of the past) explains the dynamics of populist nationalism of the past and how these same mechanisms are on the rise again today. This makes this paper extremely relevant to today's political situation. Populist movements try to construct a past to form identity, a past that never really existed. These movements then use these identities to justify their political goals.Part 3 (analytical framework) describes the authors framework for analysis. It is structured into a matrix of three dimensions (Identitarian mythopoesis, Unavoidable conflict, Western teleology) by three procedures (Perspective, Connection, Selection), each with distinct questions to ask and answer for the researched video game. Part 4 (implementation) finally discusses how the framework works and presents some practical examples with the help of the games Assassin’s Creed III and Civilization V. The conclusions summarize the paper once more very briefly.

The proposed framework is a very welcome tool in reflecting on video games in terms of the political dimensions represented. The matrix provided can give a hint on what questions to ask and how to analyze the answers. Nevertheless, a little more explanation on how to work with these questions might be helpful, especially for students wanting to utilize this matrix. The two provided examples help a lot, but it might not be clear to everyone how to use the framework. If one does however, this framework can help tremendously in video game analysis with a political focus. This is especially important today with raising populist narratives all over the world. This paper presents a very good starting point on an analytical framework for the analysis of historical video games.

References

Chapman, A., Foka, A., and Westin, J. (2017) Introduction: what is historical game studies? 499 Rethinking History, 21(3), 358-371. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642529.2016.1256638

Giere, D. (2019) Computerspiele - Medienbildung - historisches Lernen. Zu Repräsentation und Rezeption von Geschichte in digitalen Spielen. Forum historisches Lernen. Frankfurt am Main: Wochenschau.

Reinhard, A. (2018) Archaeogaming - An Introduction to Archaeology in and of Video Games. New York - Oxford: Berghahn.

Visonà, M. M. and Idone Cassone, V. (2024) The Games of our People. Analysing Populist Nationalist Rhetorics of the Past in Historical Games. Zenodo, ver.5 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8309653

The Games of our People. Analysing Populist Nationalist Rhetorics of the Past in Historical GamesMarvin M. Visonà , Vincenzo Idone Cassone <p>Populist Nationalist movements have been using social media and popular culture as a way to diffuse their rhetorics, by reinterpreting TV series, movies and video games through discourses aiming to seek legitimacy in the history and the past.<b...Theoretical archaeologySebastian Hageneuer2023-09-01 18:33:50 View
28 Aug 2024
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IT- and machine learning-based methods of classification: The cooperative project ClaReNet – Classification and Representation for Networks

Humans, machines, and the classification of Celtic coinage – the ClaReNet project

Recommended by , ORCID_LOGO and ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Alex Brandsen and Eythan Levy

The paper entitled “IT- and machine learning-based methods of classification: The cooperative project ClaReNet – Classification and Representation for Networks” submitted by Chrisowalandis Deligio and colleagues presents the joint efforts of numismatists and data scientists in classifying a large corpus of Celtic coinage. Under the project banner “ClaReNet – Classification and Representation for Networks”, they seek to explore the possibilities and also the limits of new computational methods for classification and representation. This approach seeks to rigorously keep humans in the loop in that insights from Science and Technology Studies inform the way in which knowledge generation is monitored as part of this project. The paper was first developed for a special conference session convened at the EAA annual meeting in 2021 and is intended for an edited volume on the topic of typology, taxonomy, classification theory, and computational approaches in archaeology.

Deligio et al. (2024) begin with a brief and pertinent research-historical outline of Celtic coin studies with a specific focus on issues of classification. They raise interesting points about how variable degrees of standardisation in manufacture – industrial versus craft production, for instance – impact our ability to derive tidy typologies. The successes and failures of particular classificatory procedures and protocols can therefore help inform on the technological contexts of various object worlds and the particularities of human practices linked to their creation. These insights and discussion are eminently case-transferrable and applies not only to coinage, which after all is rather standardised, but to practically all material culture not made by machines – a point that gels particularly well with the contribution by Lucas (2022) to be published in the same volume. Although Deligio et al. do not flag this up specifically, the very expectation that archaeological finds should neatly fall into typological categories likely related to the objects that were initially used by pioneers of the method such as Montelius (1903) to elaborate its basic principles: these were metal objects often produced in moulds and very likely by only a very small number of highly-trained craftspeople such that the production of these objects approached the standardisation seen in industrial times (Nørgaard 2018) – see also Riede’s (2023) contribution due to be published in the same volume.

At the core of Deligio and colleagues’ contribution is the exploration of machine-aided classification that should, via automation, assist in handling the often large numbers of coins available in collections and, at times, from single sites or hoards. Specifically, the authors discuss the treatment of the remarkable coin hoard from Le Câtillon II on Jersey consisting of approximately 70,000 individual Celtic coins. They proceeded to employ several advanced supervised and unsupervised classification methods to process this stupendously large number of objects. Their contribution does not stop there, however, but also seeks to articulate the discussion of machine-aided classification with more theoretically informed perspectives on knowledge production. In line with similar approaches developed in-house at the Römisch-Germanische Kommission (Hofmann 2018; Hofmann et al. 2019; Auth et al. 2023), the authors also report on their cutely acronymed PANDA (Path Dependencies, Actor-Network and Digital Agency) methodology, which they deploy to reflect on the various actors and actants – humans, software, and hardware – that come together in the creation of this new body of knowledge. This latter impetus of the paper thus lifts the lid on the many intricate, idiosyncratic, and often quirky decisions and processes that characterise research in general and research that brings together humans and machines in particular – a concrete example of the messiness of knowledge production that commonly remains hidden behind the face of the published book or paper but which science studies have long pointed at as vital components of the scientific process itself (Latour and Woolgar 1979; Galison 1997; Shapin and Schaffer 2011). In this manner, the present contribution serves as inspiration to the many similar projects that are emerging right now in demonstrating just how vital a due integration of theory, epistemology, and method is as scholars are forging their path into a future where few if any archaeological projects do not include some element of machine-assistance. 

References

Auth, Frederic, Katja Rösler, Wenke Domscheit, and Kerstin P. Hofmann. 2023. “From Paper to Byte: A Workshop Report on the Digital Transformation of Two Thing Editions.” Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8214563

Deligio, Chrisowalandis, Caroline von Nicolai, Markus Möller, Katja Rösler, Julia Tietz, Robin Krause, Kerstin P. Hofmann, Karsten Tolle, and David Wigg-Wolf. 2024. “IT- and Machine Learning-Based Methods of Classification: The Cooperative Project ClaReNet – Classification and Representation for Networks.” Zenodo, ver.5 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Archaeology  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7341342

Galison, Peter Louis. 1997. Image and Logic: A Material Culture of Microphysics. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Hofmann, Kerstin P. 2018. “Dingidentitäten Und Objekttransformationen. Einige Überlegungen Zur Edition von Archäologischen Funden.” In Objektepistemologien. Zum Verhältnis von Dingen Und Wissen, edited by Markus Hilgert, Kerstin P. Hofmann, and Henrike Simon, 179–215. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World 59. Berlin: Edition Topoi. https://dx.doi.org/10.17171/3-59

Hofmann, Kerstin P., Susanne Grunwald, Franziska Lang, Ulrike Peter, Katja Rösler, Louise Rokohl, Stefan Schreiber, Karsten Tolle, and David Wigg-Wolf. 2019. “Ding-Editionen. Vom Archäologischen (Be-)Fund Übers Corpus Ins Netz.” E-Forschungsberichte des DAI 2019/2. E-Forschungsberichte Des DAI. Berlin: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut. https://publications.dainst.org/journals/efb/2236/6674

Latour, Bruno, and Steve Woolgar. 1979. Laboratory Life: The Social Construction of Scientific Facts. Laboratory Life : The Social Construction of Scientific Facts. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Lucas, Gavin. 2022. “Archaeology, Typology and Machine Epistemology.” Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7622162

Montelius, Gustaf Oscar Augustin. 1903. Die Typologische Methode. Stockholm: Almqvist and Wicksell.

Nørgaard, Heide Wrobel. 2018. Bronze Age Metalwork: Techniques and Traditions in the Nordic Bronze Age 1500-1100 BC. Oxford: Archaeopress Archaeology.

Riede, Felix. 2023. “The Role of Heritage Databases in Typological Reification: A Case Study from the Final Palaeolithic of Southern Scandinavia.” Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8372671

Shapin, Steven, and Simon Schaffer. 2011. Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

IT- and machine learning-based methods of classification: The cooperative project ClaReNet – Classification and Representation for NetworksChrisowalandis Deligio, Caroline von Nicolai, Markus Möller, Katja Rösler, Julia Tietz, Robin Krause, Kerstin P. Hofmann, Karsten Tolle, David Wigg-Wolf<p>The classification of archaeological finds and their representation are shaped by various object epistemological approaches and changes of medium. With ever increasing digitisation, there are now new possibilities of classification, for example...Antiquity, Computational archaeology, Europe, Theoretical archaeologyFelix Riede2022-12-07 10:43:59 View
31 Jul 2024
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Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands

Prehistoric whaling and tool industry evidenced by advanced proteomic methods

Recommended by based on reviews by 2 anonymous reviewers

Proteomics is an increasingly applied field of study in archaeology. The characterisation of proteins in ancient biomaterials has been used extensively to determine the sex of certain animals (from dental enamel) or to identify species from non-diagnostic bone pieces or fragments of organic materials (glues and residues, for example). Paleoproteomics has been accompanied by methodological developments, in particular to reduce the size of samples affected by destructive analyses and to refine the level of species determination. The article by Joannes Dekker and colleagues (2024) - "Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands" - provides a relevant and innovative example, incorporating ZooMS and SPIN techniques as well as the creation of a database of new reference collagens (cetaceans) specific to the site's natural environment (North Sea coast). The interest of this study also lies in the contribution of a use-wear analysis carried out prior to the sampling. This comparison of multidisciplinary data is essential for understanding the links between man and his natural environment and the technical and economic production that is closely linked to it. The tool studied (ca. 1500 BCE) comes from a coastal Bronze Age site in the Netherlands, where the economy was highly diversified, involving the exploitation of wild and domestic animals in both terrestrial and marine environments. The study shows that the bone of a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was shaped into a tool that was probably used to process plant fibres. This discovery supports other studies highlighting the intensive and non-opportunistic exploitation of whales in the North Sea since the Pleistocene.

Dekker, J. A. A., Mylopotamitaki, D., Verbaas, A., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Presslee, S., McCarthy, M. L., Olsen, M. T., Olsen, J. V., van den Hurk, Y., Brattinga, J. & Welker, F. (2024) Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands. BioRxiv, ver. 2 peer-reviewed and recommended by Peer Community in Archaeology.  https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.15.589626

Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the NetherlandsJoannes A. A. Dekker, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki, Annemieke Verbaas, Virginie Sinet-Mathiot, Samantha Presslee, Morgan L. McCarthy, Morten T. Olsen, Jesper V. Olsen, Youri van den Hurk, Joris Brattinga, Frido Welker<p>Identification of the taxonomic origin of bone tools is an important, but often complicated, component of studying past societies. The species used for bone tool production provide insight into what species were exploited, potentially how, and ...Bioarchaeology, Europe, Osseous industry, Raw materialsGwenaëlle GoudeAnonymous, Anonymous2024-04-20 23:30:47 View
04 Jul 2024
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An approach to establishing a workflow pipeline for synergistic analysis of osteological and biochemical data. The case study of Amvrakia in the context of Corinthian colonisation between 625-189 BC in Epirus, Greece.

Establishing a workflow for recording and analysing bioarchaeological data

Recommended by based on reviews by 2 anonymous reviewers

The paper by Xanthopoulos and colleagues [1] presents an approach to establish a pipeline for the analysis of osteological and biochemical data. This approach integrates novel data collection, FAIR principles for data longevity and accessibility, utilises R markdown and cloud webware. Following the changes recommended by the reviewers this paper presents a welcome contribution to osteoarcheology and bioarchaeology.

Osteoarchaeology and bioarchaeology often involves the collection of vast amounts of data both in the field and from consequential analysis in the lab. From this data we can reconstruct many aspects of past human experiences. However, issues often arise when bringing together these diverse types of data. In this regard, this paper proposes are useful methodology in which osteoarchaeological researchers can bring their data together as part of a streamlined process, from data collection to analyses. 

 

References

[1] Xanthopoulos, K., Georgiadou, A. and Papageorgopoulou, C. (2024). An approach to establishing a workflow pipeline for synergistic analysis of osteological and biochemical data. The case study of Amvrakia in the context of Corinthian colonisation between 625-189 BC in Epirus, Greece. Zenodo, 11156506, ver. 3 peer-reviewed and recommended by Peer Community in Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8298579

An approach to establishing a workflow pipeline for synergistic analysis of osteological and biochemical data. The case study of Amvrakia in the context of Corinthian colonisation between 625-189 BC in Epirus, Greece.Kiriakos Xanthopoulos, Angeliki Georgiadou, Christina Papageorgopoulou<p>Bioarchaeology has long focused on understanding past human life through skeletal remains, including oral pathology and stable isotope analysis. Despite advancements in statistical analysis, correlations are still largely made manually. To stre...Antiquity, Bioarchaeology, Computational archaeology, Conservation/Museum studies, Mediterranean, Physical anthropologyChristianne Fernee2023-08-30 14:01:44 View
27 Jun 2024
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At the edge of the city: the digital storyline of the Bronchotion Monastery of Mystras

Mystras Captured from the Air – Digital Recording Techniques for Cultural Heritage Management of a Monumental Archaeological Site

Recommended by ORCID_LOGO based on reviews by Nikolai Paukkonen and 1 anonymous reviewer

This paper (Panagiotidis et al. 2024) discusses the digital approach to the ‘digital storyline’ of the Monastery of Brontochion of Mystras, Peloponnese, Greece. Using drone and terrestrial photogrammetric recording techniques, their goal is to produce maps and 3D models that will be integrated in the overall study of the medieval city, as well as function as a comprehensive visualisation of the archaeological site throughout its history. This will take shape as a web application using ArcGIS Online that will be a valuable platform presenting interactive visual information to accompany written publications. In addition, the assets in the database will be available for further advanced purposes, such as suggested by the authors; xR applications, educational games or digital smart guides. The authors of the paper do a good job in describing the historical background of the site and the purpose of the digital documentation techniques, and the applied methods and the technical details of the produced models are dealt with in detail.

The paper presents a compelling case for an integrative approach to using digital recording techniques at an architectonically complex site for Cultural Heritage Management. It can be placed in a series of studies discussing how monumental sites can benefit from advanced digital recording techniques such as those presented in this paper (see for example Waagen and Wijngaarden 2024). The paper is recommended as an interesting read for all who are involved in this field.

References

Panagiotidis V. Vayia, Valantou Vasiliki, Kazolias Anastasios, and Zacharias Nikolaos. (2024). At the Edge of a City: The Digital Storyline of the Brontochion Monastery of Mystras. Zenodo, 8126952, ver. 3 peer-reviewed and recommended by Peer Community in Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8126952

Waagen, J., and van Wijngaarden, G. J. (2024). Understanding Archaeological Site Topography: 3D Archaeology of Archaeology. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 7(1), 237–243. https://doi.org/10.5334/jcaa.157 

At the edge of the city: the digital storyline of the Bronchotion Monastery of MystrasPanagiotidis V. Vayia; Valantou Vasiliki; Kazolias Anastasios; Zacharias Nikolaos<p>This study focuses on the digital depiction of the storyline of the Monastery of Brontochion of Mystras, located at the southwest edge of the city of Mystras, situated at the foot of Mt. Taygetos, six kilometres west of the city of Sparta in th...Computational archaeology, Landscape archaeology, Mediterranean, Remote sensing, Spatial analysisJitte Waagen2023-10-03 17:02:54 View