The file associated with this record is under embargo until 36 months after publication, in accor... more The file associated with this record is under embargo until 36 months after publication, in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The full text may be available through the publisher links provided above.
ABSTRACT From the Bronze Age onwards, summits of mountains in the East Mediterranean were sacred;... more ABSTRACT From the Bronze Age onwards, summits of mountains in the East Mediterranean were sacred; many to the Greek sky-god Zeus – making a symbolic connection between the abstract sky and the physically highest point. In some cases, sacredness extends through to the Christian period, such as at Mount Kasios, which sits on the Syrian-Turkish border, and which is inaccessible for archaeological research. In this paper, we explore interactions with and representations of Mount Kasios by different groups at different times, and how these sources can help reconstruct ancient meanings and experiences of the mountain. Myth, archaeology, and landscape are mobilized to inform the construction and interrogation of two digital models in GIS and Virtual Reality (VR) designed to elicit a feeling of awe. Such ‘virtual phenomenology’ offers a means to explore a contested contemporary landscape, and to engage with ancient experiences and atmospheres of this holy mountain.
The visualisation of spatial data is no longer limited to a fancy reconstruction on a computer sc... more The visualisation of spatial data is no longer limited to a fancy reconstruction on a computer screen. Archaeologists are increasingly recognising that to explore and research space we cannot just concentrate on the visual and topographic aspects of a landscape or a building, we need to understand and represent how humans move through and interact with that space. We are now beginning to understand and explore how we can ‘visualise’ that space with all of the senses, exploring what the space sounded like, smelt like and felt like. This chapter will not describe in detail explicit technological solutions (although they will of course feature), but rather it will describe the kind of workflows we can use to realise the potential of embodied, sensory immersion within GIS and other spatial representations. We will use a number of archaeological case studies that explore multi-sensory immersion in a landscape, traditional and non-traditional ‘visualisation’ of abstract data, and the use ...
In this final chapter, a group of archaeologists take us into the world of aural augmented realit... more In this final chapter, a group of archaeologists take us into the world of aural augmented reality, explaining how lost soundscapes can be rebuilt and the profound impact they can have on a visitor’s connection with the past. This has been a book about seeing the past, but as the authors remind us, we can use more than sight to explore the past. Hearing past soundscapes can provide whole new ways of experiencing, understanding, and feeling history.
One aspect of the emerging field of digital archaeology involves the use of digital geo-technolog... more One aspect of the emerging field of digital archaeology involves the use of digital geo-technologies to create and disseminate location-based archaeological information to both academic and non-academic audiences. However archaeological projects more often than not lack the resources or expertise necessary to create tailor-made applications, resulting in the ghettoisation of digital applications to only the 'have' projects or museums. However in many situations existing services fulfilling a similar purpose could, at relatively low cost, be repurposed for archaeological projects. A specific case-study using the foursquare service in central London will help shed some light on the potential for (mis)use of existing services. Users of foursquare 'check-in' at various locations on mobile devices to access recommendations, locate friends, or gain digital control of venues. Through the inundation of the foursquare service with archaeological sites within the Roman city, d...
Advances in technology allow ever-increasing amounts of information collected during excavation t... more Advances in technology allow ever-increasing amounts of information collected during excavation to be recorded, stored, and displayed. We still do not entirely understand, however, how technology drives our archaeological agendas. Fundamental questions remain: should we collect infinitely detailed data simply because we can? What are the advantages of changes in archaeological documentation for excavators and future researchers? This paper discusses a GIS-based digital recording system developed during excavations at Chersonesos in Ukraine. In its development and use, we have attempted to assess its strengths and weaknesses, both in the field and for future use by others. Here we outline the results of that assessment and the practical and theoretical advantages and disadvantages of our methodology, focusing on the tension between precision and accuracy created by the combination of high-precision measurements and scalable spatial representation. We further address the relation betw...
Since 2015, Waterloo Uncovered has been conducting archaeological fieldwork on the famous 1815 ba... more Since 2015, Waterloo Uncovered has been conducting archaeological fieldwork on the famous 1815 battlefield in Belgium. This paper will focus on two aspects of this work that demonstrate how digital technologies have been used both to interpret the archaeology and to facilitate reconstruction. At Hougoumont, the farm which served as a strong point on Wellington’s right, metal detector survey has provided a visceral insight into the fighting, which has added much to what is already known from historical accounts. This interpretation has in part been facilitated through the use of a digital recording system known as ARK, which plots finds on a map of the site and allows artefacts to be viewed as groups and also as individual objects, which can be subject to detailed scrutiny. The archaeological results of the project have also been useful in informing a virtual reality reconstruction of Hougoumont, which although in an early stage of development will permit visitors to step back in tim...
3D scanning and photogrammetry of archaeological objects are now becoming commonplace. Virtual 3D... more 3D scanning and photogrammetry of archaeological objects are now becoming commonplace. Virtual 3D scans are in many cases replacing the drawn record and are leading to objects being more easily accessed, shared and analysed. However, the wholesale production of 3D virtual replicas of artefacts is not always supported by adequate information regarding the multi-sensory nature of artefacts. The visual and geometric aspects are well represented, but the sounds and smells of the artefacts are lost. This paper explores the possible consequences of this and provides some indications of how we may remedy the situation, before our 3D archives become senseless.
ABSTRACT This paper combines point-process modelling, visibility analysis and an information crit... more ABSTRACT This paper combines point-process modelling, visibility analysis and an information criteria approach to infer the reasons behind the Bronze Age settlement pattern of Leskernick Hill in Cornwall, UK. We formalise three alternative hypotheses as point process models characterised by different combinations of covariates. In addition to using traditional topographic variables, we use a form of affordance viewsheds, which we refer to as visibility fields, to investigate the visual properties of different parts of the landscape, both cultural and natural. We compare these three models by means of information criteria, and generate a fourth hybrid model by recombining variables drawn from each. The results reveal that a mixture of covariates drawn from the three hypotheses combined with a spatial interaction model provides the best overall model for the settlement pattern. We show that the settlement on Leskernick Hill was most likely the result of two separate decision-making processes, one to optimise the visibility of ritual monuments and important natural landmarks, and the other to optimise the visibility of nearby tin-extraction areas. We conclude that by using an information criterion approach it is possible to easily compare the models and identify which among these is the most satisfying in the present state of our knowledge.
The power and the promise of digital technology provides the opportunity to revolutionise the way... more The power and the promise of digital technology provides the opportunity to revolutionise the way we think about and do archaeology. This opportunity has been seized by a few enterprising archaeologists, but can only be fully realised when a culture of participation and sharing is fostered in both academic and professional realms. Digital literacy and critical digital media object creation cannot be the realm of only a few heritage professionals, but should be cultivated and rewarded as we create new publication standards throughout archaeology. We present the background of digital participatory culture, the current entanglement of open source, open access, and for-profit technology in archaeology, and offer a challenge: to create a more ubiquitous, reflexive, open and participatory archaeology on both the institutional and the individual level.
The file associated with this record is under embargo until 36 months after publication, in accor... more The file associated with this record is under embargo until 36 months after publication, in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The full text may be available through the publisher links provided above.
ABSTRACT From the Bronze Age onwards, summits of mountains in the East Mediterranean were sacred;... more ABSTRACT From the Bronze Age onwards, summits of mountains in the East Mediterranean were sacred; many to the Greek sky-god Zeus – making a symbolic connection between the abstract sky and the physically highest point. In some cases, sacredness extends through to the Christian period, such as at Mount Kasios, which sits on the Syrian-Turkish border, and which is inaccessible for archaeological research. In this paper, we explore interactions with and representations of Mount Kasios by different groups at different times, and how these sources can help reconstruct ancient meanings and experiences of the mountain. Myth, archaeology, and landscape are mobilized to inform the construction and interrogation of two digital models in GIS and Virtual Reality (VR) designed to elicit a feeling of awe. Such ‘virtual phenomenology’ offers a means to explore a contested contemporary landscape, and to engage with ancient experiences and atmospheres of this holy mountain.
The visualisation of spatial data is no longer limited to a fancy reconstruction on a computer sc... more The visualisation of spatial data is no longer limited to a fancy reconstruction on a computer screen. Archaeologists are increasingly recognising that to explore and research space we cannot just concentrate on the visual and topographic aspects of a landscape or a building, we need to understand and represent how humans move through and interact with that space. We are now beginning to understand and explore how we can ‘visualise’ that space with all of the senses, exploring what the space sounded like, smelt like and felt like. This chapter will not describe in detail explicit technological solutions (although they will of course feature), but rather it will describe the kind of workflows we can use to realise the potential of embodied, sensory immersion within GIS and other spatial representations. We will use a number of archaeological case studies that explore multi-sensory immersion in a landscape, traditional and non-traditional ‘visualisation’ of abstract data, and the use ...
In this final chapter, a group of archaeologists take us into the world of aural augmented realit... more In this final chapter, a group of archaeologists take us into the world of aural augmented reality, explaining how lost soundscapes can be rebuilt and the profound impact they can have on a visitor’s connection with the past. This has been a book about seeing the past, but as the authors remind us, we can use more than sight to explore the past. Hearing past soundscapes can provide whole new ways of experiencing, understanding, and feeling history.
One aspect of the emerging field of digital archaeology involves the use of digital geo-technolog... more One aspect of the emerging field of digital archaeology involves the use of digital geo-technologies to create and disseminate location-based archaeological information to both academic and non-academic audiences. However archaeological projects more often than not lack the resources or expertise necessary to create tailor-made applications, resulting in the ghettoisation of digital applications to only the 'have' projects or museums. However in many situations existing services fulfilling a similar purpose could, at relatively low cost, be repurposed for archaeological projects. A specific case-study using the foursquare service in central London will help shed some light on the potential for (mis)use of existing services. Users of foursquare 'check-in' at various locations on mobile devices to access recommendations, locate friends, or gain digital control of venues. Through the inundation of the foursquare service with archaeological sites within the Roman city, d...
Advances in technology allow ever-increasing amounts of information collected during excavation t... more Advances in technology allow ever-increasing amounts of information collected during excavation to be recorded, stored, and displayed. We still do not entirely understand, however, how technology drives our archaeological agendas. Fundamental questions remain: should we collect infinitely detailed data simply because we can? What are the advantages of changes in archaeological documentation for excavators and future researchers? This paper discusses a GIS-based digital recording system developed during excavations at Chersonesos in Ukraine. In its development and use, we have attempted to assess its strengths and weaknesses, both in the field and for future use by others. Here we outline the results of that assessment and the practical and theoretical advantages and disadvantages of our methodology, focusing on the tension between precision and accuracy created by the combination of high-precision measurements and scalable spatial representation. We further address the relation betw...
Since 2015, Waterloo Uncovered has been conducting archaeological fieldwork on the famous 1815 ba... more Since 2015, Waterloo Uncovered has been conducting archaeological fieldwork on the famous 1815 battlefield in Belgium. This paper will focus on two aspects of this work that demonstrate how digital technologies have been used both to interpret the archaeology and to facilitate reconstruction. At Hougoumont, the farm which served as a strong point on Wellington’s right, metal detector survey has provided a visceral insight into the fighting, which has added much to what is already known from historical accounts. This interpretation has in part been facilitated through the use of a digital recording system known as ARK, which plots finds on a map of the site and allows artefacts to be viewed as groups and also as individual objects, which can be subject to detailed scrutiny. The archaeological results of the project have also been useful in informing a virtual reality reconstruction of Hougoumont, which although in an early stage of development will permit visitors to step back in tim...
3D scanning and photogrammetry of archaeological objects are now becoming commonplace. Virtual 3D... more 3D scanning and photogrammetry of archaeological objects are now becoming commonplace. Virtual 3D scans are in many cases replacing the drawn record and are leading to objects being more easily accessed, shared and analysed. However, the wholesale production of 3D virtual replicas of artefacts is not always supported by adequate information regarding the multi-sensory nature of artefacts. The visual and geometric aspects are well represented, but the sounds and smells of the artefacts are lost. This paper explores the possible consequences of this and provides some indications of how we may remedy the situation, before our 3D archives become senseless.
ABSTRACT This paper combines point-process modelling, visibility analysis and an information crit... more ABSTRACT This paper combines point-process modelling, visibility analysis and an information criteria approach to infer the reasons behind the Bronze Age settlement pattern of Leskernick Hill in Cornwall, UK. We formalise three alternative hypotheses as point process models characterised by different combinations of covariates. In addition to using traditional topographic variables, we use a form of affordance viewsheds, which we refer to as visibility fields, to investigate the visual properties of different parts of the landscape, both cultural and natural. We compare these three models by means of information criteria, and generate a fourth hybrid model by recombining variables drawn from each. The results reveal that a mixture of covariates drawn from the three hypotheses combined with a spatial interaction model provides the best overall model for the settlement pattern. We show that the settlement on Leskernick Hill was most likely the result of two separate decision-making processes, one to optimise the visibility of ritual monuments and important natural landmarks, and the other to optimise the visibility of nearby tin-extraction areas. We conclude that by using an information criterion approach it is possible to easily compare the models and identify which among these is the most satisfying in the present state of our knowledge.
The power and the promise of digital technology provides the opportunity to revolutionise the way... more The power and the promise of digital technology provides the opportunity to revolutionise the way we think about and do archaeology. This opportunity has been seized by a few enterprising archaeologists, but can only be fully realised when a culture of participation and sharing is fostered in both academic and professional realms. Digital literacy and critical digital media object creation cannot be the realm of only a few heritage professionals, but should be cultivated and rewarded as we create new publication standards throughout archaeology. We present the background of digital participatory culture, the current entanglement of open source, open access, and for-profit technology in archaeology, and offer a challenge: to create a more ubiquitous, reflexive, open and participatory archaeology on both the institutional and the individual level.
Archaeology has been at the forefront of attempts to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to ... more Archaeology has been at the forefront of attempts to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to address the challenges of exploring and recreating perception and social behaviour within a computer environment. However, these approaches have traditionally been based on the visual aspect of perception, and analysis has usually been confined to the computer laboratory. In contrast, phenomenological analyses of archaeological landscapes are normally carried out within the landscape itself, computer analysis away from the landscape in question is often seen as anathema to such approaches. This thesis attempts to bridge this gap by using a Mixed Reality (MR) approach. MR provides an opportunity to merge the real world with virtual elements of relevance to the past, including 3D models, soundscapes and immersive data. In this way, the results of sophisticated desk-based GIS analyses can be experienced directly within the field and combined with phenomenological analysis to create an embodied GIS. The thesis explores the potential of this methodology by applying it in the Bronze Age landscape of Leskernick Hill, Bodmin Moor, UK. Since Leskernick Hill has (famously) already been the subject of intensive phenomenological investigation, it is possible to compare the insights gained from 'traditional' landscape phenomenology with those obtained from the use of Mixed Reality, and effectively combine quantitative GIS analysis and phenomenological fieldwork into one embodied experience. This mixing of approaches leads to the production of a new innovative method which not only provides new interpretations of the settlement on Leskernick Hill but also suggests avenues for the future of archaeological landscape research more generally.
Proceedings of the 40th Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, Southampton, 26-30 March 2012, 2013
One aspect of the emerging field of digital archaeology involves the use of geo-technologies to c... more One aspect of the emerging field of digital archaeology involves the use of geo-technologies to create and disseminate location-based archaeological information. Although archaeological projects often lack the resources necessary for tailor-made applications, existing services can also be repurposed for archaeology at relatively low cost. A specific case-study using the foursquare application in central London highlights the potential for (mis)use of existing services. Users of foursquare ‘check-in’ at various locations on mobile devices to access recommendations, locate friends, or gain digital control of venues. Through the inundation of the foursquare service with archaeological sites within the Roman city, the project created a palimpsest of past urban landscapes reaching a broad, non archaeological audience. Public users can explore this landscape as well as contribute additional layers of narrative, or ‘tips’, ultimately creating a digital application evolving beyond the scope of the initial project.
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Papers by Stuart Eve