Data management and the extraction of archaeological knowledge is often overlooked, however, in terms of presenting the results of archaeological work to other professionals or to the general public, with only the final interpretations being made available.ĭata collection for an ERT profile at Old Sarum, using multi-probe system with laptop and ImagerPro software.
This includes the systematic collection of remotely sensed data which measures different physical properties of sub-surface deposits surveyed. The collection of data using such techniques is part of the broader approach to standard archaeological fieldwork these days. Geophysics and remote sensing are both now routinely used in archaeology, with techniques being brought from different fields of development including military applications and hydrocarbon exploration. These remote sensing technologies both increase the extent to which we can record archaeological material over large areas and also help us avoid invasive and ultimately destructive excavations. Over the last 50 years, a number of different technologies have been developed that aid archaeologists in the discovery and interpretation of remains. However, it is easy to overlook the scientific aspects of our work that integrate with the development of how archaeology understands past human activity. The daily routine of excavation, recording of stratigraphy, finds and contexts, and understanding the different formation processes – it is what we are, and what we do.
This article is part of our series: a day in the software life, in which we ask researchers from all disciplines to discuss the tools that make their research possible.Īrchaeological practice in the field seems so down to earth.
By Kristian Strutt, Experimental Officer at the University of Southampton, and Dean Goodman, Geophysicist at the Geophysical Archaeometry Laboratory, UC Santa Barbara.