Advanced digital methods in archaeology

Introduction

Digital archaeology, as part of the digital humanities, has become a catch-all term for many different methods. However, there are certain inevitable trends that underlie them all. These trends are hidden behind the terms Big Data and artificial intelligence, which many are familiar with, especially through heavily promoted projects such Google AI or Meta AI or, to a lesser degree, AI4EU Experiments Platform.

In the reality of digital archaeology, however, much groundwork needs to be done before we can harvest similar results. The key to this (which we are currently addressing in the ARIADNEplus project) is data infrastructure. In the "Advanced digital methods in archaeology" collaborative project, we are addressing a seemingly small and often overlooked part of the data infrastructure: archaeological methodology.

Why is archaeological methodology important to digital data infrastructure? Methodology is, of course, critical in all areas of archaeological research. For us, what types of data are collected, how the data are recorded, and how those data are curated and disseminated are critical. In order for different data sets to "work together," i.e., to be harmonised into a single database that can be analysed, the above aspects must be at least broadly consistent.

The above may seem very hypothetical on the one hand and common sense on the other. However, it becomes critical when two groups of researchers with completely different educational and institutional backgrounds each collect data for one half of the experiment from which they seek a common answer.

This is exactly the situation in which the members of this project found themselves. We are archaeologists working on two topics: Holocene environmental change and Early Mediaeval settlements. Research teams from both institutions in this project have respectively collected and analysed the data north and south of the Karavanke/Karawanken mountains. But to go beyond the state of the art in science, we need to make the data work together. In some cases, this may mean synchronising dissemination procedures for data sets related to Holocene environmental change (Posch, Andrič). In other cases, it involves synchronising two large databases on Early Mediaeval sites (Štular, Eichert).

In our experience, however, the bottom-up approach is crucial for building "synchronisation." First, researchers must learn each other's advanced methods of data collection and analysis. Only then can they look for long-term solutions for data integration when and where it is needed.

Aims

The goal of this project is to establish a "bottom-up synchronisation" of advanced methods in two areas of archaeology: Holocene environmental change and Early Mediaeval settlement. Bottom-up "synchronisation" will be achieved through three specific aims.

• the exchange of archaeological practises in the field of Holocene environmental change.
• the migration (to be precise, duplication) of selected parts of the Zbiva (zbiva.zrc-sazu.si) database to the OpenAtlas (https://dppopenatlas.oeaw.ac.at) database
• the creation of a common protocol to "synchronise" advanced methods in archaeology between the two institutions upon completion of the project.

Project leader with project partner is Dr. Caroline Posch.