Archaeological Cultural Heritage Research Articles

Актуальные вопросы правового регулирования использования территорий, подлежащих археологическим разведкам

The authors investigate the problems of legal regulation of archaeological zoning. According to the authors, the current legislation needs comprehensive improvement. It is necessary to clarify the competence of different levels of public authority, to optimise the process of archaeology permits. The authors also demonstrate the need to search for new organisational and legal mechanisms for the preservation of archaeological cultural heritage.

What Should We Do With These? Challenges related to (semi-)automatically detected sites and features. A note

Recent advances in machine learning and computer vision techniques have brought (semi-)automatic feature detection within reach of an increasing number of archaeologists and archaeological institutions, including those in Finland. These techniques improve our ability to detect and gather information on archaeological cultural heritage over vast areas in a highly efficient manner. However, the widespread adoption of such methods can also pose significant challenges for archaeological cultural heritage management, especially in relation to certain types of near-ubiquitous archaeological remains from the 17th-20th centuries.

Semantic Solutions for Democratizing Archaeological and Numismatic Data Analysis

Museums, heritage agencies and other institutions responsible for managing archaeological cultural heritage across Europe are engaged in developing digital platforms to better open their collections to the public as a common resource for the purposes of discovering, learning about, and sharing our common past. This paper explores the potential of new semantic computing technologies in democratizing not only public access to digital cultural heritage records, but also to computational and Linked Open Data -assisted data analysis and knowledge discovery. As a case study, we consider archaeological and numismatic Open Data services in Finland, and discuss the research results obtained during the ongoing development work for the CoinSampo framework for opening Finnish and international numismatic data. Existing digital cultural heritage services are often built with the needs of professional collections management in mind. The presentation of the records is typically structured after the familiar format established for the printed catalogues of yesteryear, with few analytical tools that would take advantage of the potential of digital data to probe and visualize internal relationships and patterns within the full body of the opened material. CoinSampo, however, will provide scientific tools to new audiences among the non-professional public who have not enjoyed such a level of access to numismatic data. The broad range of target audiences we envisage includes collections managers, who will benefit from enhanced access to their own data for updating records and for error detection and correction, as well as academic researchers interested in using the material in scientific analysis. Importantly, it also includes non-professional groups such as coin collectors, educators, local historians, and the archaeological hobby metal-detectorists who produce most of the new coin finds entering the national collections in Finland and in other European countries where detecting is legal. By adopting a citizen science and participatory heritage approach in the development of Open Data services, we aim to promote a technological model for cultural heritage dissemination that addresses the needs of a wide spectrum of different user audiences inside and outside the professional sphere.

Trade and Export of Archaeological Cultural Goods: A Conflict of Ideas

Under Polish law objects that are archaeological cultural heritage discovered, accidentally found, or acquired as a result of archaeological research, are the property of the state. This is the situation of the original acquisition of the monument. As a further consequence, archaeological monuments are excluded from trade (becoming res extra commercium). Besides trade, the export of archaeological cultural goods is also highly problematic. In the case of permanent export of a monument abroad, the law imposes the obligation to obtain a permit for such permanent export, issued by the minister responsible for culture and the protection of national heritage. The regulation in Polish law makes it almost impossible for any archaeological cultural goods to be legally exported. The restricted freedom on the market of works of art and monuments in relation to archaeological finds, together with the limited options of mainly temporary export, have created high activity in the black market, calling for a change of approach of the national law towards archaeological heritage. This leads to the question: Should we introduce some legal changes in the ownership rights of archaeological heritage to bring it closer to people?

Rate of occurrence of wood degradation in foundations and archaeological sites when groundwater levels are too low

In many places around the world, soils preserve ancient wooden elements. These are related to archaeological objects such as shipwrecks, water wells or tools, but also to piled constructions supporting buildings and waterworks. In countries like the Netherlands, a significant part of the built environment still stands on wooden piles and some have been in function for more than 600 years. For the preservation of this wood, it is essential that it remains waterlogged. Due to climate change, more and longer periods of drought are expected during which groundwater levels drop. Previously waterlogged wood that finds itself above groundwater loses its water protection as oxygen becomes available and wood degrading fungi become active. It is unclear how much time it takes before these detrimental processes start to have an effect. Therefore, to better protect buried wood, an understanding of the degradation processes under dynamic groundwater levels is needed. This includes the conditions under which the fungi become active and when these conditions occur in and around the wood. To address this complex issue, two experiments were conducted: Firstly, under optimal laboratory conditions, the rate of degradation over time by different fungal species in different wood species was determined. Subsequently, the changing conditions in and around wooden piles after lowering the groundwater level were examined in a field experiment. The latter experiment showed that the wood-soil matrix provides long-term protection against degradation. The soil types appear to be an important factor as well as the moisture content of the wood, both determining for how long the protection can be maintained. Together with the degradation speed by fungi, a risk assessment can be made for specific conditions when drought leads to loss of archaeological cultural heritage or to instability of our (monumental) buildings and structures.

Socialization of Immovable Roman Archaeological Sites in Bulgaria

The archaeological cultural heritage and its inclusion in projects for the creation of tourist attractions, tourist products and marketing of the destinations are among the leading priorities in the field of tourism in Bulgaria. In this sense, the aim of the current paper is a review and analysis of the socialization of the immovable archaeological sites from the Roman period in the country. The socialization is considered from several aspects - exposure, preservation, presentation, provided services and organized events, accessibility, technical and ancillary infrastructure, advertisement. In each of them, the applied basic techniques and methods are studied and illustrated with specific examples of sites with national importance from the Roman period. In conclusion, more important problems and challenges related to the socialization are presented. Their resolution is of importance for the preservation of the immovable archaeological monuments and the sustainable development of tourism, based on archaeological heritage.

The essence of the maqsura in Islamic architecture as a modern trend to preserve it as an archaeological cultural heritage in its own right

The essence of the maqsura in Islamic architecture as a modern trend to preserve it as an archaeological cultural heritage in its own right

The essence of the maqsura in Islamic architecture as a modern trend to preserve it as an archaeological cultural heritage in its own right

The essence of the maqsura in Islamic architecture as a modern trend to preserve it as an archaeological cultural heritage in its own right

Archaeological Digital Archiving in Heritage Management in Slovakia

The Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic (MB SR) and the Regional Monuments Boards have been the state administrators of the cultural heritage, including archaeology, since 2002. This article aims to map the current state of archaeological digital archives within MB SR and eight Regional Monuments Boards, as well as present the usage and management of digital datasets within ongoing projects. The central archive of the MB SR maintains historical plans and cultural heritage documentation, created since the 1920s and continuously digitised (the collections of negatives, diapositives, projects, plans, schematic maps, and fieldwork documentation). Since 2012, MB SR has taken part in the Digital Monuments Fund project. Within this project, 2D and 3D documentation of a great number of cultural monuments has been created. In 2019 the implementation phase of the Monuments information system (PAMIS) project started. Its basic modules are the presentation layer, the knowledge agenda and state administration. There are several features in preparation within these modules, such as: updating; collection, consolidation and GIS processing of archaeological site data that belong to the monuments fund, including data from aerial laser scanning; the archaeological excavation registry and the archive of fieldwork reports; the registry of finds in the administration of MB SR; the electronic processing of the state administration activity within the protection of the archaeological cultural heritage. The PAMIS project will provide processed data and make them accessible to the state and public administration, owners of monuments, as well as to professionals and the general public, using online solutions (web GIS) with various approaches according to defined user roles.

XVI-wieczny dwór obronny w Zgłobniu i jego nowa funkcja – Regionalna Składnica Zabytków Archeologicznych jako nowy oddział Muzeum Okręgowego w Rzeszowie

XVI-wieczny dwór obronny w Zgłobniu i jego nowa funkcja – Regionalna Składnica Zabytków Archeologicznych jako nowy oddział Muzeum Okręgowego w Rzeszowie

Landscape Heritage at Çadir Höyük: From Cartography to Digital Imagery

Abstract Studies of archaeological cultural heritage typically focus on sites and landscapes threatened by military conflict, while threats from development and urban expansion are often more common. Excavations at Çadır Höyük began as a salvage campaign in advance of the construction of the Gelingüllü Dam—a modern infrastructural project. While our team has been excavating since 1994, the mound of Çadır Höyük and our host village of Peyniryemez have been recorded in maps and historical documents stretching as far back as the fifteenth century CE. This article examines the history of archaeological engagement at the site with a particular focus on the cartographic and visual record.

REPRESENTATION AND DIGITALIZATION OF STONE THEATRES IN EASTERN SICILY: THE PALAZZOLO ACREIDE THEATER

Abstract. The ancient theatres in Sicily, in southern Italy and along the countries facing the Mediterranean Sea basin, constitute a reality of incomparable cultural value. Regarding the research on the ancient theatres of eastern Sicily, few studies have been recently dealt with different methodologies. In the last years some practices have been done using 3D laser scanners for the theatres of Syracuse, Taormina and Morgantina, as well as the Syracuse amphitheatre and Taormina Odeon, just obtaining very interesting results. Lately the theatre of Palazzolo Acreide (Syracuse) has been studied, with Structure From Motion (SFM) and Dense Matching methodologies. From these experience, conclusions could be drawn on the quality and reliability of the elaborations realised with the SFM methodologies. We really know that these systems are today representing one of the fastest growing areas of examination, on which several software houses are investing. The study was chosen both for the small size of the building, and for the particular geometric conditions typical of the architecture of ancient theatres. This because their three-dimensional trend varies continually in the three variables X, Y, Z. The purpose of the work was to check whether the latest releases of these systems of survey allow today more than yesterday, a rapid digitalization and representation of the enormous archaeological cultural heritage. Various software were used, to verify the practicality and operation, the choice then fell on the Zephyr of 3DFlow, kindly available by the manufacturer, whose results were quite agreeable. The possibility offered by the program of a graphical tracing of polylines on the textured 3D model, has been a considerable advantage. Therefore the results obtained by modeling and surveying of the Palazzolo Acreide theatre have been compared, with the survey of the Syracuse, Taormina and Morgantina theatre performed using 3D laser scanners. First results of the research are matter of the following work.

Google Earth as a Powerful Tool for Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Applications: A Review

Google Earth (GE), a large Earth-observation data-based geographical information computer application, is an intuitive three-dimensional virtual globe. It enables archaeologists around the world to communicate and share their multisource data and research findings. Different from traditional geographical information systems (GIS), GE is free and easy to use in data collection, exploration, and visualization. In the past decade, many peer-reviewed articles on the use of GE in the archaeological cultural heritage (ACH) research field have been published. Most of these concern specific ACH investigations with a wide spatial coverage. GE can often be used to survey and document ACH so that both skilled archaeologists and the public can more easily and intuitively understand the results. Based on geographical tools and multi-temporal very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery, GE has been shown to provide spatio-temporal change information that has a bearing on the physical, environmental, and geographical character of ACH. In this review, in order to discuss the huge potential of GE, a comprehensive review of GE and its applications to ACH in the published scientific literature is first presented; case studies in five main research fields demonstrating how GE can be deployed as a key tool for studying ACH are then described. The selected case studies illustrate how GE can be used effectively to investigate ACH at multiple scales, discover new archaeological sites in remote regions, monitor historical sites, and assess damage in areas of conflict, and promote virtual tourism. These examples form the basis for highlighting current trends in remote sensing archaeology based on the GE platform, which could provide access to a low-cost and easy-to-use tool for communicating and sharing ACH geospatial data more effectively to the general public in the era of Digital Earth. Finally, a discussion of the merits and limitations of GE is presented along with conclusions and remaining challenges.

Documentación 3D de abrigos rupestres a partir de láser escáner y de procesos fotogramétricos automatizados

<p>Metric and graphic documentation of archaeological cultural heritage requires effective solutions for archiving, visualization, analysis, management, and monitoring of different monuments and sites. This paper presents the geomatic workflow undertaken on a singular rock art site, Coves de la Saltadora. The cave is part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in1998. The different steps are reviewed, starting from the data acquisition until the final delivery of part of the metric outputs such as 3D models, photorealistic models, orthophoto mosaics in two levels, general and detail.</p>

Consuming the Past: Public Perceptions towards the Discipline of Archaeology in Zimbabwe

This paper discusses the public perceptions of archaeology and the information that archaeologists produce in Zimbabwe. There have been accusations that archaeologists in various parts of the world research for themselves. The products of archaeological research are often presented in academic jargon only accessible to those in the profession. Archaeological research in developing countries has been criticized for having limited involvement, if any, with the local communities in which it is conducted, and fails to address development issues that are important and much more relevant to the concerned societies. The paper discusses the extent to which these accusations are justified in Zimbabwe, focusing on the perceptions that local communities have on archaeology, archaeologists, archaeological remains, archaeological research, and institutions dealing with archaeological cultural heritage in that country. It also discusses why it seems difficult to put into practice some of the suggestions that have been made in the past on how to engage with the public. The paper argues that, although there have been efforts to change the situation, southern African archaeology in general and specifically its practice in Zimbabwe remains largely a preserve of the initiated. It concludes by recommending that writing on archaeological issues be accessible and that research issues should have social relevance. Awareness of local communities in research, outreach activities to schools, and the benefits of archaeological resources for local communities, are crucial means by which the value of the discipline can be appreciated by the public.

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Objectives: To advise the right usage of archaeological cultural heritage from Qhapaq Nan in Huanuco as a cultural park, through a cultural management efficient model based on research, protection, conservation and social use, to turn this place into a touristic destination and so contribute to a project not only to safeguard this heritage but also to increase income and reduce poverty levels in the area. Methods: This is a comparative study that describes and to gather the cultural management experiences about how people in other places take advantage of the legacy and archaeological cultural heritage, both nationally and globally. The design model was correlational. The research was quantitative and qualitative. Descriptive, comparative, analytical, historical, deductive methods were used. Results: The study suggests the need to optimize resources to take advantage of Qhapaq Nan as a cultural park through an adequate cultural management, the park will comprise 68,34 km from the Tambococha or Tunsucancha Tambo to Taparako Tambo, because it is one of the best preserved sectors and involves important areas of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Conclusions: The Inca Road in Huanuco is one of the most important heritages in the region and the country, and that it is possible to be promoted as a cultural park using a cultural management model, if we take into account the various management experiences in the country and in the world.

Computer Vision Tools for 3D Modelling in Archaeology

In archaeological Cultural Heritage study 3D modelling has become a very useful process to obtain indispensable data for documentation and visualization. Nowadays the continuous request to achieve photorealistic 3D models has led to testing different techniques and methodologies to speed up both data acquisition and the data processing phase. There are many examples of surveys conducted with the use of range-based and image-based techniques, but, in the last few years, the scientific research has been increasingly moving towards automatic procedures using Computer Vision approach to reduce time during data processing. Computer Vision approach offers a great opportunity for archaeological survey since it can be very easily used by existing Computer Vision interfaces such as 3D web services and open source or low cost software. The aim of this work is to evaluate the performance offered by Computer Vision interfaces for 3D survey of archaeological ruins using some 3D web-service tools and a low cost software like PhotoScan package. Some tests have been performed to analyze the geometric accuracy of 3D models obtained by 3D web-service tools and PhotoScan package through the comparison with a 3D model achieved by laser scanning survey.

“En la Radio han dicho que no se Puede Tocar Nada…”. Refl exiones sobre el Patrimonio Arqueológico en la Provincia de San Juan en la Provincia de San Juan (Argentina)

When archaeologists speak about protection, conservation and revaluation about the historical and cultural heritage we usually talk about those guidelines and regulations we are authorized to recommend as a select group. What happens to those ideas, concepts and meaning that the actors and academic or scientists communities have about their own historical, archaeological cultural heritage? To defi ne beforehand the characteristics and meaning of the cultural goods of the societies has always been the prevailing policy in our country, and to make a refl ection about this situation must be taken as a priority of the investigations. We considered it is very important to know those meanings that the agents or actors and communities create and recreate, as a real way of becoming part of the archaeological work we make. In this way, we will talk about some aspects of an archaeological investigation in course in San Juan, Argentina. We want to emphasize in the relationship that the social agents and some communities make about the indigenous past, their elaborations of the uses and meanings of the archaeological heritage. Key words: Archaeological heritage, Social meanings, San Juan.

Recovering traditions in the digital era: the use of blimps for modelling the archaeological cultural heritage

Driven by progress in sensor technology, algorithms and data processing capabilities, the recording and 3D virtual modelling of complex archaeological sites is currently receiving much attention. Nevertheless, the problem remains the huge effort and costs that have to be invested to obtain realistic models. Besides on-site measurements, much time is often spent in manually rebuilding the whole site with a CAD package or a 3D-modelling tool. In this paper, a low-cost and flexible system has been devised and realized for virtual archaeological sites modelling, starting from the acquisition system and ending with the generation of a virtual model in three dimensions. Different efforts have been made to increase the level of automation without losing accuracy and reliability. Finally, in order to demonstrate its capabilities some examples applied in archaeological sites are tested and reported.

Den mindre viktige døden. Etterreformatioriske gravminners status

Our knowledge about death and the practices surrounding it during the recent past, is dependent on the material that survives. Current heritage legislation in Norway does not automatically protect archaeological cultural heritage, including grave material, which post-dates the Reformation in 1537. The documentation, collection and research of this material is often neglected. This constitutes a loss of important scientific source material and compromises ethical considerations.The Church of Our Lady in Trondheim is home to a spectacular collection of grave material associated with the city’s wealthier citizens of the 17th and 18th centuries. This material has provided new and complementary knowledge of the burial customs of the period. The material is an important source of knowledge. Its source value is further enhanced due to its potential for comparison with other sources.The lack of legal protection of archaeological remains which post-date 1537, is an increasingly debated issue, which calls to improve the protection of the material culture of the recent past. By demonstrating the value of this particularly material, this article hopes to contribute towards highlighting the problems and inconsistencies associated with this aspect of Norwegian heritage management.