Recording archaeological senses in subterannean archaeological sites. A methodological approach on Neolithic caves from the Western Balkans and Greece

Abstract

Sensorial approaches in archaeology have been criticized due to the difficulty of the analytical documentation of the past senses. This thesis aims to correlate current trends on archaeological theory about non-rational decision-making factors in prehistoric communities (such as senses, emotions and feelings) with current mapping and geo-analytical techniques. The research introduces the idea of the “paleosensorial spectrum” of an archaeological site and proposed recording techniques using GIS and statistical software. For this research case study, paleosensorial spectra are drafted by using advance mapping techniques for capturing sensorial data in Neolithic caves from Greece and the Western Balkans and further correlating the field data with the archaeological evidence. Cognitive psychology frameworks have been used for grouping the field data and bridging the gap between the material and the immaterial worlds. Caves from the Balkans works as complimentary case studies but a discussion on how the application of the proposed methods can alter the current understanding of the human use of the Neolithic Balkan caves is taking place, in order to showcase if the “paleosensorial spectrum” approach can offer a better understanding of the past. As an outcome of the thesis, a step-by-step workflow is proposed on how we can record with digital tools paleosensorial spectra in subterranean environments and how these can be correlated with past activities