The Intersection of Technology and Public Archaeology

DOCUMENT Citation Only Kevin A Gidusko. Sarah Miller.

An important aspect of public archaeology efforts is the need to utilize new, innovative methods to engage a changing public. The use of 3D modeling and printing technology currently offers a novel approach to improve extant methods of public interaction. This paper discusses FPAN’s efforts to incorporate 3D technology into public outreach, especially via inclusion into curricula already in use by the network. "Investigating a Tabby Slave Cabin" and "Investigating a Light Station," part of...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Kari Lentz. Blake Vollmer. Diego Rocha. Claire Yancey. Edward DeHaro. Kari Jones. Liz Melicker.

Archaeologists have often eschewed technology as too expensive or superfluous for public outreach efforts. How can we as professionals overcome these long-held ideas and start to bring our projects into the digital age? This paper attempts to answer this question by examining how affordable cutting-edge technology can enhance public interpretation of archaeological resources. Augmented reality and 3D modeling were used in conjunction to visualize long-gone historical structures within the modern...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Ann E. Danis.

While archaeologists are making leaps and bounds integrating digital technologies into their work-flow and interpretive strategies, an over-emphasis on the virtual has left a hole where thinking about how archaeologists, collaborators, stakeholders and the public actually encounter archaeology — IN REAL LIFE. While many post about living in a post-digital age, their is a kernel of truth to how many collaborators, especially youth, conceive of their worlds not as full of new media but as, "always...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Letitia C Mumford. Olivia M Snover.

The central question that drives our inquiry is: How can technology, specifically Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), pair with material culture and archived/published oral tradition in order to enhance visitor experiences at a sacred American Indian site? Jeffers Petroglyphs is a Dakota site located in Comfrey, Minnesota with over 5,000 known petroglyphs, dating up to 7,000 years. Today, these petroglyphs hold spiritual and historical significance for the Dakota people, yet cannot be...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Joseph A. Downer.

Emerging technologies have empowered archaeologists to interact with the public in new and exciting ways. At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, archaeological staff are incorporating geospatial analysis and story-telling tools to present to, and interact with various public and professional audiences. This paper will briefly discuss the use of ESRI Storymaps to engage with and inform the public both in the field and from the comfort of their own homes. Further tools, such as ESRI’s collector...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Bonnie J. Clark. Michael Caston. Maeve Herrick.

Let’s face it: 3D printing is cool.  It is also, thanks to a push from many different sectors, much more affordable, flexible, and accessible through college campuses and even city libraries.  This presentation will focus on a recent project at the University of Denver where anthropologists teamed with the engineering and computer science school to take advantage of our different suites of knowledge.  Together we crafted curriculum for students from many different academic backgrounds to employ...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Thomas Whitley.

We are surrounded these days by endless digital online content that interprets historical and/or archaeological materials for the general public. The resolution and amount of this content is increasing more rapidly than the ripeness of a banana in a brown paper bag. But in many ways, this material seems to represent only the objectives of the archaeologists or historians involved. Being able to digitally re-create, or interpret, the past in new and exciting ways is obviously a good thing. But...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Scott Byram. Jun Sunseri.

Earthen architecture has significant representation in building traditions across large temporal and geographic expanses, so everyone’s people at one time or another dabbled in this technology. Adobe, also known also as dagga, ferey, cob, and other names is a variant in which soil and other materials are formulated into discrete construction components, often in communities of practice for which adobe recipes, preparation, and application are integral to daily intersections of home and...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Linda Stine. Roy Stine.

Archaeologists and geographers from the interdisciplinary archaeology program, University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), engage the public in local archaeological projects through multiple methods.  Early projects included use of hand-held GPS tied to site information in Belize, and a voiced, animated battle overlay on a modern map.  UNCG investigators offer visitors a chance to see how to collect remote sensed data (e.g., GPR, magnetometer, Lidar), I-Pad 3D imaging, and laboratory...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Bernard K. Means.

The Virtual Curation Laboratory (VCL) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), VCU’s School of Education, and VCU’s Leadership for Empowerment and Abuse Prevention (LEAP) have partnered with the Richmond-based Virginia Historical Society (VHS) to create three-dimensional (3-D) printed replicas of objects in their collections with the goal of increasing access to community members, especially those that are visually impaired. The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) is...