Digital Archaeology
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Trends in Archive Archaeology
Current Research on Archival Material from Fieldwork and its Implications for Archaeological Practice
Archive archaeology has in recent years become increasingly acknowledged as an important component of archaeological research. However the vast amounts of empirical data contained in such archives — among them fieldwork diaries working notebooks finds sheets and photographs — together with a sense that the field is often skewed towards ‘one’s own data’ have made it difficult to develop a clear methodological approach that fits all eventualities. The result is that archive archaeology is still not always recognized for what it can bring to the discipline of archaeology as a field of study that focuses on the contexts within which humanity developed.
This volume draws together contributions from scholars who work with archives in a variety of capacities: as fieldwork directors of decades-long excavations; as archivists interested in the history of collections; as specialists focusing on certain object groups or regions; and as researchers broadly interested in what archival material brings to the table in terms of new knowledge about archaeological situations. In showcasing contributions of work in progress the chapters published here bring to the fore knowledge about archives that has long been overlooked and examine how archival archaeology should be shaped in the future so that it can become more firmly integrated within archaeological practice.
Shaping Archaeological Archives
Dialogues between Fieldwork, Museum Collections, and Private Archives
Archaeology as a discipline has undergone significant changes over the past decades in particular concerning best practices for how to handle the vast quantities of data that the discipline generates. Much of this data has often ended up in physical - or more recently digital - archives and been left untouched for years despite containing critical information. But as many recent research projects explore how best to unleash the potential of these archives through publication digitization and improved accessibility attention is now turning to the best practices that should underpin this trend.
In this volume scholars turn their attention to how best to work with and shape archaeological archives and what this means for the field as a whole. The majority of case studies here explore archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East some of which are conflict zones today. However the contributions also showcase more broadly the depth of research on archaeological archives as a whole and offer reflections upon the relationship between archaeological practices and archival forms. In so doing the volume is able to offer a unique dialogue on best practices for the dissemination and synthetization of knowledge from archives more generally whether physical or digital.