Archaeology on YouTube: 2025.08.31

Archaeologists Sara Ayers-Rigsby (Southeast/Southwest Regional Director at the Florida Public Archaeology Network), Rachel Dewan (Executive Director of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield), Katie Petrole (Assistant Director at the Nashville Parthenon), and Jen Thum (Egyptologist and Associate Director of Engagement and Campus Partnerships and Research Curator at Harvard Art Museums) answer questions submitted by FIRST LEGO League teams.

Today, baskets are for picnics and the Easter Bunny, but in the Middle Ages, they were all-purpose containers, used for collecting and storing crops and food, or for transporting construction tools and materials. Like the blacksmith, the basket weaver touches practically every part of the castle and community in some way. (Credit: Ben O’Donnell)

The water mill in Guédelon Forest comes to life each spring, weather permitting. Its design follows a medieval mill found in 2008 in the village of Thervay, 160 miles east of Guédelon. That machine was only preserved in fragments of wood, and no one knew how such a thing would run in practice. In the first years of the Guédelon mill’s operation, the upright wooden cogs on the small horizontal gear proved brittle. They were replaced with ones notched along the grooves of the wood. Pig-fat grease was swapped out for cow fat. Spring brought the right amount of rain. Et voilà! (Credit: Ben O’Donnell)

Guédelon blacksmiths Caroline Hasne and Mathis Lacroix forge a tool for making nails. Hasne, a new employee in a very old job, likes the work so far. “I love to try to re-create some old techniques that we don’t see anymore by studying old objects,” she says. “And I’m paid to do it!” (Credit: Ben O'Donnell)

Join the AIA for a fascinating evening with Mark Aldenderfer presenting "Archaeology and the Tibetan/Himalayan Afterlife" This presentation was given live at 8pm Eastern/on April 9, 2025. Description: Although historians and Tibetologists since the early 20th century have collected and interpreted religious documents describing in general terms rituals of death and safe passage to the afterlife among the early peoples of the Himalayas, the archaeological record offered little insight into them. But recent research by archaeologists across the region have made extraordinary discoveries that both challenge and corroborate current understandings as well as identifying previously unknown traditions for both commoners and kings.

Join the AIA as Rosemary Joyce (University of California, Berkeley) presents Complex Society Without Rulers. This lecture was given live at 8pm Eastern on March 19, 2025. Description: For many people, the word "archaeology" conjures up images monuments, traces of the lives of powerful rulers who can seem to be inevitable parts of any urban, agricultural society. But there are other stories archaeology can tell about societies where there is no apparent ruler, but where many of the hallmarks of "complex society" are found. This lecture explores one such society, the ancient Ulúa culture of northern Honduras, neighbors to Classic Maya states where people used religion to reinforce social relations in a society of wealthy farmers who enjoyed artworks of extraordinary beauty.

Society Sunday 2025 - March 9, 2025 Find your local AIA Society and see what they're up to: https://www.archaeological.org/programs/societies/find/ Join us as the AIA Societies Committee presents a virtual presentation and Q&A with Iyaxel Cojtí Ren presenting “Communal Government and Forms of Dependency in the K'iche' State” This presentation was be given live at 1pm Eastern on March 9, 2025. In the Maya highlands during the Late Postclassic period (1250-1524 CE), the K'iche' created an expansive state able to subdue various nations and form a network of dependent polities. Join archaeologist Iyaxel Cojtí Ren as she explains how the key to this lies in the K'iche' forms of local community organization and how they were integrated into the larger K'iche' political unit. Learn about the most common forms of community organization: chinamit and amaq'. Their members practiced communal solidarity and forms of communal government, which were vital for reproduction, problem-solving, and territorial defense. The K'iche' state’s strength resulted from incorporating these communities, chinamit and amaq', and adopting some of their values and forms of government. For example, in the Colonial-period K'iche' texts, the term tzuq “to sustain, to feed” appears frequently to describe the relationship of mutual dependence that existed between rulers and K’iche’ communities. This means that the rulers also had obligations to take care of the population under their authority. And while reciprocity between rulers and those they ruled was far from equal, the communal form of government employed by the K'iche' allowed representatives of the people to exert sufficient influence to prevent oppressive rulers and defend the people’s interests.

Join the AIA as Zainab Bahrani (Columbia University) presents Towards an Archaeology of Preservation. This lecture was given live at 8pm Eastern on February 26, 2025. Description: The history of archaeology as a scientific discipline has received a great deal of attention in recent years. As a result of extensive archival research and the reading of archives against the grain, alternative or indigenous archaeologies and earlier forms of relationships to the past—such as antiquarianism—have also begun to receive more serious scholarly attention. Since the 1990s, Zainab Bahrani’s scholarship has contributed to these historical directions in archaeology. She now augments archival and theoretical work with fieldwork, presenting some of the archaeological evidence of millennia of preservation and conservation practices in the landscape of Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. Bio: Zainab Bahrani is the Edith Porada Professor of Art History and Archaeology and Chair of the Department of Art History at Columbia University. She writes on ancient art and philosophical aesthetics, the history and politics of archaeology, collecting and the modernist and contemporary art and architecture of Iraq. She has also published widely on the destruction of historical heritage in war and occupation. Dr. Bahrani directs the Mapping Mesopotamian Monuments projects to document and conserve historical architecture and rock reliefs in Iraqi Kurdistan, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. Since 2019 she has been the Director of the Bahdinan-Mosul Gate conservation project in Amadiya/Amedi in Iraqi Kurdistan. Dr. Bahrani is the author of several books including Women of Babylon: Gender and Representation in Mesopotamia (Routledge, 2001), The Graven Image: Representation in Babylonia and Assyria (University of Pennsylvania, 2003), Rituals of War (Zone/MIT, 2008) which won the American Historical Association Prize, and The Infinite Image: Art, Time and the Aesthetic Dimension in Antiquity (Reaktion/University of Chicago, 2014) which won the Lionel Trilling Prize, and Mesopotamia: Art and Architecture (Thames and Hudson, 2018). She is also editor and co-author of volumes written to accompany her co-curated exhibitions: Scramble for the Past: A Story of Archaeology in the Ottoman Empire 1753-1914 (Istanbul, 2011) and Modernism and Iraq (New York, 2009). Her new book is, War Essays, UCL Press, 2025. Distinctions include election to the Slade Professorship at Oxford, and awards form the Getty Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, a 2003 Guggenheim, and a 2019 Carnegie award. In 2020 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Join the AIA as Uzma Rizvi (Pratt Institute) presents Caring for MohenjoDaro Description: How do we understand care in the ancient world? This talk will focus on current archaeological research conducted in the city of MohenjoDaro (a World Heritage Site) located in contemporary Pakistan (Sindh Province). Archaeological excavations at MohenjoDaro document hundreds of dwelling-houses and large buildings built along streets and lanes oriented towards cardinal points, which index an architectural sophistication of a well-planned city. This talk will focus on the neighborhood of DK-G South, and look for indicators of care in the many ways the ancient inhabitants maintained their lived environment over generations. Bio: Uzma Z. Rizvi is Professor of Anthropology and Urban Studies at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY; and Visiting Faculty in the Department of Archaeology, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Pakistan. Dr. Rizvi holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College, and a postdoctoral fellowship from Stanford University. She is an anthropological archaeologist specializing in the archaeology of the first cities. She teaches classes focused on anthropology, ancient urbanism, critical heritage studies, decolonizing methodologies and the postcolonial critique. She is the PI for the Laboratory for Integrated Archaeological Visualization and Heritage (liavh.org), and is currently working at MohenjoDaro. She has published widely and has presented her work to many different audiences, both domestically and internationally. With nearly two decades of work on decolonizing methodologies, intersectional and feminist strategies, and transdisciplinary approaches, Dr. Rizvi’s work has intentionally pushed disciplinary limits, and demanded ethical decolonial praxis at all levels of engagement, from teaching to research.

UPDATE: Please note the following updated information for this meeting that was rescheduled for May. Costa Rica has been added to the docket for this meeting.The letter submission deadline is May 13, 2025 and the new docket number is [DOS-2025-0003]. If you previously submitted a letter for the February you need not resubmit. More info: https://www.archaeological.org/preserving-chile-costa-rica-italy-morocco-and-vietnam/ If you’ve traveled to Chile, Italy, Morocco, or Vietnam and/or appreciate their cultural heritage, your experience and passion can help the U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee with their upcoming deliberations. Watch this short video to find out how you can join the AIA to speak up for threatened archaeological sites. Visit www.archaeological.org/preser... for letter templates and more information. Submit your comments on regulations.gov on the docket: [DOS-2024-0048-0001] and follow the prompts!

Heritage Saturday Staff Pick! From 1830s missionary pressure to the largest mass execution in US history, the Lakota people have endured generations of religious suppression. This powerful documentary traces their fight—from forced conversion and the "convert or starve" era to the 1978 Religious Freedom Act—ending with the resurgence of traditional Lakota spirituality. This is not just history. It is survival. It is resistance. It is renewal. Watch this film and others like it on Heritage! ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) #HeritageSaturday #LakotaHistory #ReligiousFreedom #IndigenousResistance #NativeVoices #StaffPick #HealingAndHope

✈️✨ This National Aviation Week, we’re celebrating the trailblazing life of Pearl Carter Scott! She was a proud Chickasaw citizen, wife, mother, and the youngest licensed pilot in American history. In the 1920s, Pearl took to the skies under the mentorship of legendary aviator Wiley Post, flying solo by age 13 and quickly becoming a commercial pilot and local celebrity. Her fearless passion for aviation made her a pioneer not only for women in flight, but also for Native Americans making history in the skies. 🎬 Explore her incredible journey in two inspiring films now streaming on HeritageTAC.org: ⭐ Pearl (2010) – A feature film dramatizing her remarkable story. ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel)

Gold, copper, and a 500-year-old shipwreck off the Namibian coast—this film uncovers Europe’s hidden history of mining, metallurgy, and the global spice trade. ⛏️🌍 A tale of ambition, danger, and the high price of desire. All the excitement is precisely why this film is a staff favorite! ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) #ShipwreckSecrets #CopperGoldSpice #MiningHistory #culture #heritage #educational #documentary

👀Look what just arrived on Heritage Broadcasting Service! Today’s group of new titles will take you on journeys from ancient Israel, to 10th century Norse settlements in Greenland, to modern day castles in Glasgow. Featured films: “It Ain't Necessarily So: John McCarthy Investigates The Bible, Episode 3,” “Brown and Baltersan,” and “Strata: Portraits of Humanity Season 11, Episode 11,” featuring “6 minutes/km,” and “Greenland RESPONSE.” Stream now on heritagetac.org ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #archaeology #archeology #heritage #anthropology #history #culture #culturalheritage #documentary #biblicalarchaeology #ancientisrael #greenland #norse #castle #baltersan #glasgow #Atikamekw #Quebec

Footage taken from 2001 shows a reflective item under the water's surface in exactly the spot we see the #TaraiaObject in 2015 satellite images. The reflection is linear and doesn't move along with the aircraft which indicates a static item under the water's surface. Along with other images you can see on our webpage we believe there is strong evidence the Taraia Object has been there for a long time - not just since the 2015 storm uncovered it more. You can watch our full film for free on Heritage. ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #AmeliaEarhart #Aviation #lostplane #foundplane #evidence #theory #history

Leading up to the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples this Saturday, we spotlight a powerful film following a native Indian woman’s journey to rediscover her tribal roots. Through her lens, we witness the resilience of Indigenous identity, the impact of external forces, and the fight for land rights in eastern India’s Damin-i-Koh region. A story of reclamation, resistance, and cultural survival. ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #IndigenousPeoplesDay #TribalVoices #DaminIKoh #IndigenousResistance #LandRights #IndigenousIndia #CulturalSurvival #DecolonizeNow #IndigenousStories #WorldIndigenousDay

As we approach the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples this Saturday, dive into the Ben Cropp Collection—an unforgettable journey around Australia’s wild coastlines and the South Pacific. Through stunning footage and powerful conversations, Cropp captures ancient island cultures, many now facing extinction. These documentaries offer a vivid glimpse into myths, traditions, and ways of life that deserve to be seen and remembered. ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #IndigenousPeoplesDay #SouthPacificVoices #BenCropp #CulturalSurvival #IslandCultures #IndigenousStories #OceanicHeritage #DocumentaryFilm #ListenToIndigenousVoices #WorldIndigenousDay #PreserveCulture

Film: Detached In honor of the upcoming International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples this Saturday, we're sharing a powerful film that invites reflection. Told through the voice of one Chukchi man—and the spirit of an entire Indigenous community—it explores identity, displacement, and what it means to hold onto your roots in a rapidly changing world. Let this story prepare us for deeper listening. ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #IndigenousPeoplesDay #ChukchiVoices #IndigenousStories #CulturalSurvival #ListenToIndigenousVoices #IndigenousResistance #DecolonizeNow #ArcticVoices #WorldIndigenousDay #IndigenousCinema

This Saturday is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and we honor the strength, resilience, and leadership of women like Patricia “Paty” Moreno Salas. A Wixarika leader and representative to Mexico’s National Indigenous Congress, Paty walks a powerful path - from surviving domestic violence to advocating for Indigenous rights and women’s empowerment. Her story is one of healing, resistance, and transformation—for herself, her family, and her community. 🎥 Watch her journey and others like it on HeritageTAC.org . We will be releasing suggested films all week long to honor this holiday. ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #IndigenousPeoplesDay #Wixarika #Marichuy #CNI #IndigenousWomenLead #Resilience #HealingJustice #PatyMoreno #documentaryfilm #heritagetac #heritage #culture

Heritage Staff Pick Saturday! What if the Plagues of Egypt had a volcanic origin? 🌪️🔥 Dive into a thrilling investigation linking the Book of Exodus to the ancient eruption of Santorini. With mysterious inscriptions, epic geologic events, and clues from deep in the past, this doc will shake up everything you thought you knew about biblical history! 🏺🕵️‍♂️ ► HERITAGE: (https://heritagetac.org/) ► INSTAGRAM: / (https://www.instagram.com/heritagebroadcastingservice/) / (https://www.instagram.com/archaeologychannel/) ► FACEBOOK: / (https://www.facebook.com/TheArchaeologyChannel/) ► X: / (https://x.com/archchannel) #ExodusUncovered #HeritagePick #SantoriniSecrets #HistoryAndMystery

Does the newly found clay seal mentioning Yeda’yah son of Asayahu have biblical connections? Check out the full video for more.

Does the newly found clay seal mentioning Yeda’yah son of Asayahu have biblical connections? In August 2025, an artifact was found in Jerusalem that has sparked debate in the world of biblical archaeology. Does this archaeological discovery provide evidence of a connection to biblical figures, or are there significant issues with the context of this artifact that undermine its value? In this video, we explore three key problems with the Yeda’yah seal. Check out our news shorts for weekly archaeology news updates. Check out Dr. Cargill's Online Class 'Cities of the Bible' patreon.com/bibleandarch/shop Become a patron for bonus content and early access: http://www.patreon.com/bibleandarch Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Visit the Bible & Archaeology website: http://www.uiowa.edu/bam Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bible-and-archaeology/id1753393688 Find us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3tbe91wqMwkHcudArRi1ue?si=d483a9f54bf94753 Hosted by Mary Kathryn Lichty and Jordan Jones Produced and Edited by Jordan Jones

Check out our podcast for the full conversation.

This week, we're talking about Homer with Dr. Celsiana Warwick! Homer is one of the most influential figures in all of Ancient Greek literature, but what do we actually know about him? Was Homer a real person or a mythical figure? What made the Homeric Epics different? How do the Iliad and Odyssey still shape our thinking to us today? Whether you're a first-time Homer reader or a seasoned scholar, this interview with Dr. Warwick will give you all the essential insights you need to begin reading Homer’s epic poems and understanding their lasting significance in literature, history, and culture. Become a Bible & Archaeology patron: http://www.patreon.com/bibleandarch Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Visit the Bible & Archaeology website: http://www.uiowa.edu/bam Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bible-and-archaeology/id1753393688 Find us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3tbe91wqMwkHcudArRi1ue?si=d483a9f54bf94753 Guest: Dr. Celsiana Warwick, Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Iowa Produced and Edited by Jordan Jones Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Check out our podcast for the full conversation. Available now on Patreon.

Lorna Richardson During CAA2018 Huggett et al (2018) issued a grand disciplinary challenge to produce a consensus-based, end-to-end, digital archaeology knowledge map with which to locate evolving archaeological practices without stifling digitally creative disruptive developments. In a hugely complex and expanding knowledgescape, digitally-enabled knowledge maps will give practitioners a better chance to share our collective disciplinary knowledge (both by giving and receiving), while avoiding unnecessary duplication, exposing gaps, and fostering greater resilience in our knowledge sharing practices and knowledge bases. They are intended to digitally enhance questions of the generic form: “what do we already know about ... where does it reside, and how can I gain access to this knowledge/tool/method/ insight/expertise/etc?” This round-table seeks to seed a pan-archaeology forum to produce a preliminary high-level model of digitally-enabled archaeological knowledge practices (explicit and tacit) and capabilities and begin the process of mapping our assets, resources, communities, best practices, and gaps. Maps are not static entities and can be rendered in many different projections. They are contingent on need. We therefore fully expect a variety of (evolving) mapping approaches. In under 5 minutes each, participants will present a single-slide a map (model) which encapsulates the scope of knowledge practices and capabilities required to operate effectively within their competency/sector (inter alia, commercial unit, GLAM, research organisation, funding agency, government agency, etc). These maps will provide the initial inputs for a discussion aimed at developing a broader (e-2-e) composite model of the digitally enhanced archaeological enterprise that can be taken to the broader CAA community and beyond to be refined and expanded. Our ambition in this session is to provide a framework onto which digital methods and approaches for specific practices in different archaeological contexts can be mapped and then harnessed to support day-to-day work practices and research. References: Huggett, J., Reilly, P. and Lock, G., 2018. Whither Digital Archaeological Knowledge? The Challenge of Unstable Futures. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 1(1), pp.42–54

Colleen Morgan During CAA2018 Huggett et al (2018) issued a grand disciplinary challenge to produce a consensus-based, end-to-end, digital archaeology knowledge map with which to locate evolving archaeological practices without stifling digitally creative disruptive developments. In a hugely complex and expanding knowledgescape, digitally-enabled knowledge maps will give practitioners a better chance to share our collective disciplinary knowledge (both by giving and receiving), while avoiding unnecessary duplication, exposing gaps, and fostering greater resilience in our knowledge sharing practices and knowledge bases. They are intended to digitally enhance questions of the generic form: “what do we already know about ... where does it reside, and how can I gain access to this knowledge/tool/method/ insight/expertise/etc?” This round-table seeks to seed a pan-archaeology forum to produce a preliminary high-level model of digitally-enabled archaeological knowledge practices (explicit and tacit) and capabilities and begin the process of mapping our assets, resources, communities, best practices, and gaps. Maps are not static entities and can be rendered in many different projections. They are contingent on need. We therefore fully expect a variety of (evolving) mapping approaches. In under 5 minutes each, participants will present a single-slide a map (model) which encapsulates the scope of knowledge practices and capabilities required to operate effectively within their competency/sector (inter alia, commercial unit, GLAM, research organisation, funding agency, government agency, etc). These maps will provide the initial inputs for a discussion aimed at developing a broader (e-2-e) composite model of the digitally enhanced archaeological enterprise that can be taken to the broader CAA community and beyond to be refined and expanded. Our ambition in this session is to provide a framework onto which digital methods and approaches for specific practices in different archaeological contexts can be mapped and then harnessed to support day-to-day work practices and research. References: Huggett, J., Reilly, P. and Lock, G., 2018. Whither Digital Archaeological Knowledge? The Challenge of Unstable Futures. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 1(1), pp.42–54

Katherine Cook During CAA2018 Huggett et al (2018) issued a grand disciplinary challenge to produce a consensus-based, end-to-end, digital archaeology knowledge map with which to locate evolving archaeological practices without stifling digitally creative disruptive developments. In a hugely complex and expanding knowledgescape, digitally-enabled knowledge maps will give practitioners a better chance to share our collective disciplinary knowledge (both by giving and receiving), while avoiding unnecessary duplication, exposing gaps, and fostering greater resilience in our knowledge sharing practices and knowledge bases. They are intended to digitally enhance questions of the generic form: “what do we already know about ... where does it reside, and how can I gain access to this knowledge/tool/method/ insight/expertise/etc?” This round-table seeks to seed a pan-archaeology forum to produce a preliminary high-level model of digitally-enabled archaeological knowledge practices (explicit and tacit) and capabilities and begin the process of mapping our assets, resources, communities, best practices, and gaps. Maps are not static entities and can be rendered in many different projections. They are contingent on need. We therefore fully expect a variety of (evolving) mapping approaches. In under 5 minutes each, participants will present a single-slide a map (model) which encapsulates the scope of knowledge practices and capabilities required to operate effectively within their competency/sector (inter alia, commercial unit, GLAM, research organisation, funding agency, government agency, etc). These maps will provide the initial inputs for a discussion aimed at developing a broader (e-2-e) composite model of the digitally enhanced archaeological enterprise that can be taken to the broader CAA community and beyond to be refined and expanded. Our ambition in this session is to provide a framework onto which digital methods and approaches for specific practices in different archaeological contexts can be mapped and then harnessed to support day-to-day work practices and research. References: Huggett, J., Reilly, P. and Lock, G., 2018. Whither Digital Archaeological Knowledge? The Challenge of Unstable Futures. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 1(1), pp.42–54

Tuna Kalayci During CAA2018 Huggett et al (2018) issued a grand disciplinary challenge to produce a consensus-based, end-to-end, digital archaeology knowledge map with which to locate evolving archaeological practices without stifling digitally creative disruptive developments. In a hugely complex and expanding knowledgescape, digitally-enabled knowledge maps will give practitioners a better chance to share our collective disciplinary knowledge (both by giving and receiving), while avoiding unnecessary duplication, exposing gaps, and fostering greater resilience in our knowledge sharing practices and knowledge bases. They are intended to digitally enhance questions of the generic form: “what do we already know about ... where does it reside, and how can I gain access to this knowledge/tool/method/ insight/expertise/etc?” This round-table seeks to seed a pan-archaeology forum to produce a preliminary high-level model of digitally-enabled archaeological knowledge practices (explicit and tacit) and capabilities and begin the process of mapping our assets, resources, communities, best practices, and gaps. Maps are not static entities and can be rendered in many different projections. They are contingent on need. We therefore fully expect a variety of (evolving) mapping approaches. In under 5 minutes each, participants will present a single-slide a map (model) which encapsulates the scope of knowledge practices and capabilities required to operate effectively within their competency/sector (inter alia, commercial unit, GLAM, research organisation, funding agency, government agency, etc). These maps will provide the initial inputs for a discussion aimed at developing a broader (e-2-e) composite model of the digitally enhanced archaeological enterprise that can be taken to the broader CAA community and beyond to be refined and expanded. Our ambition in this session is to provide a framework onto which digital methods and approaches for specific practices in different archaeological contexts can be mapped and then harnessed to support day-to-day work practices and research. References: Huggett, J., Reilly, P. and Lock, G., 2018. Whither Digital Archaeological Knowledge? The Challenge of Unstable Futures. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 1(1), pp.42–54

Pricilla Ulguim During CAA2018 Huggett et al (2018) issued a grand disciplinary challenge to produce a consensus-based, end-to-end, digital archaeology knowledge map with which to locate evolving archaeological practices without stifling digitally creative disruptive developments. In a hugely complex and expanding knowledgescape, digitally-enabled knowledge maps will give practitioners a better chance to share our collective disciplinary knowledge (both by giving and receiving), while avoiding unnecessary duplication, exposing gaps, and fostering greater resilience in our knowledge sharing practices and knowledge bases. They are intended to digitally enhance questions of the generic form: “what do we already know about ... where does it reside, and how can I gain access to this knowledge/tool/method/ insight/expertise/etc?” This round-table seeks to seed a pan-archaeology forum to produce a preliminary high-level model of digitally-enabled archaeological knowledge practices (explicit and tacit) and capabilities and begin the process of mapping our assets, resources, communities, best practices, and gaps. Maps are not static entities and can be rendered in many different projections. They are contingent on need. We therefore fully expect a variety of (evolving) mapping approaches. In under 5 minutes each, participants will present a single-slide a map (model) which encapsulates the scope of knowledge practices and capabilities required to operate effectively within their competency/sector (inter alia, commercial unit, GLAM, research organisation, funding agency, government agency, etc). These maps will provide the initial inputs for a discussion aimed at developing a broader (e-2-e) composite model of the digitally enhanced archaeological enterprise that can be taken to the broader CAA community and beyond to be refined and expanded. Our ambition in this session is to provide a framework onto which digital methods and approaches for specific practices in different archaeological contexts can be mapped and then harnessed to support day-to-day work practices and research. References: Huggett, J., Reilly, P. and Lock, G., 2018. Whither Digital Archaeological Knowledge? The Challenge of Unstable Futures. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 1(1), pp.42–54

Paul Reilly, Stephen Stead During CAA2018 Huggett et al (2018) issued a grand disciplinary challenge to produce a consensus-based, end-to-end, digital archaeology knowledge map with which to locate evolving archaeological practices without stifling digitally creative disruptive developments. In a hugely complex and expanding knowledgescape, digitally-enabled knowledge maps will give practitioners a better chance to share our collective disciplinary knowledge (both by giving and receiving), while avoiding unnecessary duplication, exposing gaps, and fostering greater resilience in our knowledge sharing practices and knowledge bases. They are intended to digitally enhance questions of the generic form: “what do we already know about ... where does it reside, and how can I gain access to this knowledge/tool/method/ insight/expertise/etc?” This round-table seeks to seed a pan-archaeology forum to produce a preliminary high-level model of digitally-enabled archaeological knowledge practices (explicit and tacit) and capabilities and begin the process of mapping our assets, resources, communities, best practices, and gaps. Maps are not static entities and can be rendered in many different projections. They are contingent on need. We therefore fully expect a variety of (evolving) mapping approaches. In under 5 minutes each, participants will present a single-slide a map (model) which encapsulates the scope of knowledge practices and capabilities required to operate effectively within their competency/sector (inter alia, commercial unit, GLAM, research organisation, funding agency, government agency, etc). These maps will provide the initial inputs for a discussion aimed at developing a broader (e-2-e) composite model of the digitally enhanced archaeological enterprise that can be taken to the broader CAA community and beyond to be refined and expanded. Our ambition in this session is to provide a framework onto which digital methods and approaches for specific practices in different archaeological contexts can be mapped and then harnessed to support day-to-day work practices and research. References: Huggett, J., Reilly, P. and Lock, G., 2018. Whither Digital Archaeological Knowledge? The Challenge of Unstable Futures. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 1(1), pp.42–54

Zeynep Özge Özdemir, Serdar Aydin This paper discusses glitches that occur as part of polygon mesh processing in 3D photogrammetry. The production of 3D geometries in photogrammetry is relevant to the object(s) being photographed or device-related parameters, e.g. camera lens and shutter speed. In this context, there are several determinants regarding the modelling of 3D mesh geometries, including transparency and brightness of objects and subtlety between repetitive elements. Data transformation from 2D images to 3D objects frequently changes the message and the glitch appears as part of the process. We present the results of a two-day workshop attended by four participants. We experimented the generation and the dissemination of glitches as both scholarly and creative products. The workshop showed how glitches (digital errors) could be exploited to rather catalyse communication between the machine and the audience. During the workshop, photographs were converted into 3D sculptures with ‘errors’ or as we define ‘glitches’ that appear like holes or dislocation of pixel’s colour values. Such internal errors were taken as potentially representative of a gap in knowledge where users must project their own conceptual understanding to complete it. Decentralisation of the artefact from its materiality, by tolerating glitches of the digital transcoding processes, led us to evolution of means for stimulating the subjective performance of users whereby emotions and intertextual narratives can be represented.

Daria Hookk, Alexey Kovalev, Nikita Pikov The ritual complex of Khar Chuluut 1 in Bayan-Olgii aimag of Mongolia belongs to Chemurchek (Qiemuerqieke) cultural phenomenon (26‒18 c. BC). The site was excavated in 2015 and a 'treasure' of 79 engraved and not-engraved stone plaques was found. The closest analogies of these engraved plaques, supporting the hypothesis of Western European origin of Chemurchek phenomenon, are engraved anthropomorphic plaques from megalithic monuments of the Iberian Peninsula (31‒27 c. BC.), as well as statues-menhirs of Sion-Aosta type (29‒27 c. BC). Similar anthropomorphic engravings on pebbles and slate plates, according to the authors, were distributed in the Sayan-Altai region as result of expansion of cultural traditions of Chemurchek people. The problem consists in the state of preservation of the ritual place with broken engraved stone walls spread around the site, and the number of engraved plaques, which are damaged during transportation to a museum. The opportunity to make the digital copies of them by photogrammetry allows scholars to continue investigations after the field works and recreate the ritual complex using digital technologies. Thus we get chance to became familiar with images: anthropomorphic figures, idols and devils, animals and other signs, as well as compare engravings on pebbles and slate plates.

Edyta Puniach, Paweł Ćwiąkała, Mateusz Boruchowski, Witold Niewiem, Kamila Nocoń Digital photogrammetry is quickly becoming a standard documentation tool in archaeology. Photogrammetric techniques are used to document both the findings of an archaeological site and the whole excavation. This paper is focused on a method of recording and documenting the surface of small objects by means of automatic photography device called FocusSphere. It is an original, inexpensive device prototype developed for the purpose of such a documentation. Resolution of 3D models obtained using FocusSphere is up to 0.1 mm depending on a non-metric camera and a lens which were used. Design and principle of operation of the device are presented in the paper. However, the main goal of the study was the assessment of FocusSphere suitability for the documentation of ancient ceramic vessels belonging to the Cypriot and Greek cultural circle. The research work was carried out in two stages. The first stage was to determine repeatability and accuracy of FocusSphere (ability to achieve repetition of the same position and ability to achieve desired position). For this purpose, precise measuring instrument (laser tracker) was used. The documentation of selected ceramic vessels differing in shape and surface characteristics was carried out in the second stage of the research. In order to assess the accuracy of the 3D models obtained by photogrammetric method the reference data were collected. They were cross sections of vessels measured by means of metrological device (measuring arm) guaranteeing the measurement accuracy at the sub-millimeter level. The results obtained were also compared with classic archaeological drawings. The methods of development of data collected by two different techniques (FocusSphere, measuring arm) along with indication of their advantages and disadvantages were finally discussed.

Philipp Atorf, Carina Justus, Ashish Karmacharya, Louise Rokohl, Frank Boochs African Red Slip Ware (ARS) is a relief-decorated ceramic produced mainly between the 3rd to 5th century AD in North Africa. The characteristic appliqué motifs provide us some insights into understanding the late antique worlds of ideas and their change. As mass-produced image carriers and everyday objects, ARS bowls, plates and vessels found a wide distribution. 3D geometry and archaeological interpretation allows to identify correspondences between different appliqué motifs in order to determine common manufacturing strategies or even a common workshop. For this purpose, a digital true-to-original replica of each relief-decorated ARS of the RGZM collection is created using structured light scanning and photogrammetry. Due to the manufacturing process appliqués are deformed in different ways, depending on the geometry of the vessel. These deformations must be eliminated as far as possible prior to a similarity analysis; therefore, different types of transformations have to be applied. Restituted appliqués can be processed in different ways in order to estimate a potential similarity. We apply 2.5D, 3D, and image processing techniques in order to calculate transformations and supporting spatial features helping to support correspondence hypotheses. In addition, we will use semantic technologies helping to split the object into unique spatial entities and to model the archaeological content. The latter will be based on visualisation and manual interpretations through experts.