From points to areas: constructing territories from archaeological site patterns using an enhanced Xtent model

Territorial reasoning is a basic topic of spatial archaeology. The ability to establish territorial extents of political, religious or economic zones allows us to move from point to area-based observations and hypotheses. We present a substantially enhanced, GIS-based version of Renfrew and Level’s classic Xtent algorithm. Our version offers various advantages over the original. It respects terrain properties, a priori physical movement constraints and hierarchical relations between sites, maximum territory sizes are easy to control and a measure of uncertainty is provided. The software implementation used in this paper was done within the framework of the open source GRASS geographic information system

Intrinsic shape analysis in archaeology: A case study on ancient sundials

This paper explores a novel mathematical approach to extract archaeological insights from ensembles of similar artifact shapes. We show that by considering all the shape information in a find collection, it is possible to identify shape patterns that would be difficult to discern by considering the artifacts individually or by classifying shapes into predefined archaeological types and analyzing the associated distinguishing characteristics. Recently, series of high-resolution digital representations of artifacts have become available, and we explore their potential on a set of 3D models of ancient Greek and Roman sundials, with the aim of providing alternatives to the traditional archaeological method of ``trend extraction by ordination'' (typology). In the proposed approach, each 3D shape is represented as a point in a shape space -- a high-dimensional, curved, non-Euclidean space. By performing regression in shape space, we find that for Roman sundials, the bend of the sundials' shadow-receiving surface changes with the location's latitude. This suggests that, apart from the inscribed hour lines, also a sundial's shape was adjusted to the place of installation. As an example of more advanced inference, we use the identified trend to infer the latitude at which a sundial, whose installation location is unknown, was placed. We also derive a novel method for differentiated morphological trend assertion, building upon and extending the theory of geometric statistics and shape analysis. Specifically, we present a regression-based method for statistical normalization of shapes that serves as a means of disentangling parameter-dependent effects (trends) and unexplained variability.Comment: accepted for publication from the ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritag

Underwater Videogrammetry with Adaptive Feature Detection at "See am Mondsee", Austria

We present a complete, video-based 3d documentation process for the submerged remains of Neolithic pile dwellings at the UNESCO World Heritage Site "See am Mondsee" in Austria. We discuss good practice routines and solutions, such as cable management, supporting the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) when strong currents are prevalent, and documentation/record keeping. The recorded site is a Neolithic lake village dating to the 4th millenium BC. Based on initial reconstruction results, we improved the image matching process of our Structure from Motion (SfM) pipeline (built around the free end-user application VisualSFM), by replacing its default feature detector (SiftGPU) with our own implementation of adaptive feature detection. The campaign was accompanied by a German television film crew. Their documentary was shown on the German public television (ARD) broadcast "W wie Wissen"

The Digital Atlas of Ancient Rare Diseases (DAARD) and its relevance for current research

Background: The history of rare diseases is largely unknown. Research on this topic has focused on individual cases of prominent (historical) individuals and artistic (e.g., iconographic) representations. Medical collections include large numbers of specimens that exhibit signs of rare diseases, but most of them date to relatively recent periods. However, cases of rare diseases detected in mummies and skeletal remains derived from archaeological excavations have also been recorded. Nevertheless, this direct evidence from historical and archaeological contexts is mainly absent from academic discourse and generally not consulted in medical research on rare diseases. Results: This desideratum is addressed by the Digital Atlas of Ancient Rare Diseases (DAARD: https://daard.dainst.org), which is an open access/open data database and web-based mapping tool that collects evidence of different rare diseases found in skeletons and mummies globally and throughout all historic and prehistoric time periods. This easily searchable database allows queries by diagnosis, the preservation level of human remains, research methodology, place of curation and publications. In this manuscript, the design and functionality of the DAARD are illustrated using examples of achondroplasia and other types of stunted growth. Conclusions: As an open, collaborative repository for collecting, mapping and querying well-structured medical data on individuals from ancient times, the DAARD opens new avenues of research. Over time, the number of rare diseases will increase through the addition of new cases from varied backgrounds such as museum collections and archaeological excavations. Depending on the research question, phenotypic or genetic information can be retrieved, as well as information on the general occurrence of a rare disease in selected space–time intervals. Furthermore, for individuals diagnosed with a rare disease, this approach can help them to build identity and reveal an aspect of their condition they might not have been aware of. Thus, the DAARD contributes to the understanding of rare diseases from a long-term perspective and adds to the latest medical research

Die iDAI.world vor dem Hintergrund der neuen Digitalgesetze

Die Bundesregierung hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, im Verlauf der 19. Legislaturperiode die Bereitstellung von Open Data im Rahmen eines zweiten Open-Data-Gesetzes auszuweiten, um die »Public Sector Information and Open Data – Richtlinie der Europäischen Union 2019/1024« in nationales Recht umzusetzen. Mit einer Änderung des § 12a des E-Government-Gesetzes soll eine möglichst umfassende Veröffentlichung von offenen Daten des Bundes erreicht werden. Es wird im vorliegenden Beitrag erörtert, wie sich die geplanten Gesetzesänderungen und die Änderungen weiterer Digitalgesetze auf die digitalen Inhalte der Datenbestände des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, die auf der Plattform iDAI.world bereitgestellt werden, auswirken

Free and Open Source Software Development in Archaeology. Two interrelated case studies: gvSIG CE and Survey2GIS

This short article illustrates the growth in the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) GIS tools in European archaeology. It draws mainly on the experience gained using the programs gvSIG CE and Survey2GIS. It demonstrates the advantages of open source software for archaeological research and fieldwork, while not ignoring the pitfalls and hazards to be avoided in the FOSS world

Modelling and Interpretation of the Communication Spaces of the 3rd and Early 2nd Millennium BC in Europe Using Diversity Gradients

Ausgehend von der Annahme, dass der Grad der Diversität archäologischer Daten in einer Region Rückschlüsse auf die Kommunikationsintensität erlaubt, erfolgt eine GIS-gestützte Modellierung von Kommunikationsräumen für das 3. und frühe 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr. Anhand der Frequenz verschiedener Kupfersorten werden Diversitätsberechnungen angestellt und deren Ergebnisse mit naturräumlichen Daten in einem Modell zusammengeführt, in dem auch die Kosten für die Durchquerung der Landschaft berücksichtigt sind. Die europaweite Stichprobe der chemisch analysierten Kupferartefakte ermöglicht die verlässliche, einheitliche Bewertung unterschiedlicher Regionen und bildet somit die Grundlage für ein Ausgangsmodell, in dem die Beurteilung europäischer Landschaften in Äneolithikum und früher Bronzezeit als Interaktions- und Kommunikationsräume erfolgt.Assuming that it is possible to make inferences about the intensity of communication in a given region on the basis of the degree of diversity among archaeological data, a GIS-supported project was undertaken to model communication spaces for the 3rd and early 2nd millennium BC. Diversity calculations were made on the basis of the frequency of various types of copper and these results were combined with biogeographic data in a model in which the cost of crossing the landscape was also taken into account. A Europe-wide random sample of chemically analysed copper artefacts allows the reliable, unified evaluation of different regions and thus forms the basis for a prototype model capable of evaluating European landscapes in the Aeneolithics and Early Bronze Age as interaction and communication spaces