Archäologische Datenbanken als virtuelle Museen

Abstract

Because archaeological databases contain unmanageably large numbers of records, users are still limited to targeted searches for specific information. Stimulating, creative browsing is rare at best. This has led to a search for new ways of selecting and composing data and new forms of representation, the goal being to introduce new ideas and research perspectives by linking monuments together in unconventional ways. Unlike computer games, databases lack a narrative—hence the suggestion to reconstruct the biography of the buildings and objects in time, space and materiality as a means of increasing the user’s interest and attention; the results could be presented as a journey through time or a visit to a museum.; the results could be presented as a journey through time or a visit to a museum. In addition to faceted browsing, crowd science methods and different forms of visualization, there are also 4D animations and natural interaction in virtual spaces to be considered. As a case study, the author presents a current project whose goal is to publish 600 sculptures as 3D scans and to reconstruct historical exhibition contexts in the form of a virtual museum. The knowledge acquired in the process can serve as a basis for future approaches in which search queries in archaeological databases are visualized as fully virtual museums.