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Mobilizing the Past Workshop Videos

By John Wallrodt
March 3, 2015 //
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I can hardly describe how useful the Mobilizing the Past: The Potential of Digital Archaeology workshop was last weekend. The organizers: Erin Averett, Derek Counts, Jody Gordon, and Michael Toumazou built a solid schedule of talks with a very tight thematic focus. I don’t know when I learned more in a single weekend.

Bill Caraher, the self-described resident luddite, has already posted parts one and two of his review of the workshop.

Wentworth Institute, who hosted the workshop, wasted no time getting the finished videos onto their YouTube channel so you can see the talks for yourself.

Although it wasn’t the first talk of the conference, this is my blog, so I will start with my keynote: “Why Paperless?”

The YouTube videos are almost, but not necessarily broken into the same time chunks as the sessions.

Part 1: Session One:

Part 2: Session Two (most of it, the video stops during Buxton’s talk on Underwater Exploration):

Part 3: Sessions Two and Three (starts mid-Buxton talk):

Part 4: Session Four (starts at 46:00, the video stops during Caraher’s talk):

Part 5: (starts mid-Caraher plus Round Table Discussion and Plenary Lecture: “The Ara Pacis and Montecitorio Obelisk of Augustus: a Simpirical Investigation” by Bernard Frischer (Indiana University):

 

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Categories Conference, iPad

Charting Antioch Coinage in Google Earth

By John Wallrodt
January 3, 2014 //
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Kristina Neumann, one of our PhD candidates in the Department of Classics at UC, will be giving a presentation soon on her work with the Google Earth database mentioned here earlier.  She has done amazing things with this database and created a series of KML files that allows her to express the reach of Antioch coinage in a stunning way.

This paper is part of the joint AIA/APA meetings in Chicago happening now. See it in session 5D at 12:30 on Saturday January 4.

In ancient times, much like now, authorities determined which foreign currency was accepted in a community. For Neumann, this made coins an ideal representation of a political relationship among cities. For example, if lots of Antiochene coins were discovered in a neighboring city, it’s likely a political agreement existed between the two governments.

Coins were also a data-rich resource for Neumann. In addition to tracking where the coins were found, she cataloged critical information about a coin — such as when it was minted and under whose authority it was made — that has been derived from the images and inscriptions imprinted on it. Other artifacts, like pottery, were less likely to have such identifiers.

Neumann uses Google Earth to convert the vast information in her coin database into a visual representation of Antioch’s political borders. She analyzes how the software plots which coins were found where and in what quantity across different historic time periods. This way she can follow the transformation of Antioch’s political influence as it was absorbed by the Roman empire.

She has found Antioch’s civic coins were spread farther out than previously theorized, and they were particularly abundant along a known trade route. Neumann can scan centuries of change in seconds with Google Earth to show the overall contraction of Antioch’s political authority but also its continued and evolving influence in selected regions and cities — and eventually its greater integration within the empire.

Google Earth allows Kristina Neumann to track change in Antioch as it was absorbed by the Roman Empire.

Her talk is already getting some news attention, which I have been tracking here.

Categories Conference, Database, General

CAA 2014 Call for Papers

By John Wallrodt
September 19, 2013 //
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For 2014, the CAA conference is in Paris (not Texas). The conference itself runs from 22-25 April. The call for papers deadline is October 31.

They have a list of sessions available.

Categories Conference, General

AIA Digital Archaeology Award Deadline Extended

By John Wallrodt
September 19, 2013 //
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You have until October 1, 2013.

Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology

Digital technologies are driving important changes in archaeology.  Despite the increasing acceptance of digital technology in daily life, however, determining how to assess digital scholarship has proved difficult: many universities remain unsure about how to evaluate digital work along side more traditional forms of print publication when faced with tenure and promotion decisions.  Recognizing the value of digital scholarship, and aiming to encourage its practice, the AIA offers this award to honor projects, groups, and individuals that deploy digital technology in innovative ways in the realms of excavation, research, teaching, publishing, or outreach.

Criteria for Selection 
Nominations of projects and individuals are welcome. Nominations may be made by anyone, including the project director or the principal members of the team responsible for the digital creation. Nominations of collaborative projects are encouraged. At least one member of the leadership team, or any individual nominee, must be a member in good standing of the AIA. Please submit the AIA membership number(s) with the nomination.

Due Date for Nomination
September 15, 2013 Extended to October 1, 2013

 

Categories Conference, General

New AIA Award for Digital Archaeology: Fame, Glory, and Tenure to Follow

By John Wallrodt
May 7, 2013 //
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The Archaeological Institute of America has created a new annual award for digital archaeology. The committee is accepting nominations for recipients until September 15, 2013.

From the website:

Digital technologies are driving important changes in archaeology.  Despite the increasing acceptance of digital technology in daily life, however, determining how to assess digital scholarship has proved difficult: many universities remain unsure about how to evaluate digital work along side more traditional forms of print publication when faced with tenure and promotion decisions.  Recognizing the value of digital scholarship, and aiming to encourage its practice, the AIA offers this award to honor projects, groups, and individuals that deploy digital technology in innovative ways in the realms of excavation, research, teaching, publishing, or outreach.

Criteria for Selection 
Nominations of projects and individuals are welcome. Nominations may be made by anyone, including the project director or the principal members of the team responsible for the digital creation. Nominations of collaborative projects are encouraged. At least one member of the leadership team, or any individual nominee, must be a member in good standing of the AIA. Please submit the AIA membership number(s) with the nomination.

I personally like the fine print:

Because the field of digital archaeology is still nascent and the application of digital technologies to archaeology is in constant flux, the committee reserves the right to modify this award as the field evolves.  Furthermore, the committee also reserves the right not give the award if no deserving project is nominated.

After a non-exhaustive search of the criteria for other AIA awards I saw no such fine print associated with any other prizes.

More info can be found at the AIA website: http://www.archaeological.org/awards/digitalarch

Categories Conference, General
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