Archaeology and Archaeological Information in the Digital Society
Sarah Whitcher Kansa, Eric C Kansa · Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies · 2019
Archaeology and Archaeological Information in the Digital Society, edited by Isto Huvila, brings together a range of studies by archaeologists and information scientists to examine the implications of digital technologies on archaeological interpretation and how we engage with the past. Digital data collection and the embedding of digital media in interpretation and presentation means that archaeologists are all engaging in some way in “digital society.” This volume highlights the various and many ways that we do so, and how digital technologies impact how we interface with archaeology—from field data collection to archiving to public presentation.In the volume's introduction, Huvila states, “There is no digital archaeology and no digital society” (p. 1) but rather just archaeology and society, which are both infused with digital technologies in contemporary culture to the point that “digital” represents an inextricable and often unnoticed part of how we work and interact. As Huvila notes, it is not about a “conceptualization of a new paradigm” but rather about “how it changes the very essence of what archaeologists do” (p. 1). The 168-page volume is centered around several broad themes, including how the concept of archaeological information is changing, how digitality (the condition of living in a digital culture) impacts what types of information we value and choose to preserve, and how archaeology can leverage digital approaches to our benefit.Chapter 1, coauthored by Lisa Börjesson and Isto Huvila, explores expectations for archaeological documentation as digital approaches become ubiquitous in the discipline. Using excerpts from interviews, the authors explore how heritage management policies impact approaches to documentation and archiving. They highlight the tension between “encouraging archaeologists to use new methods, and to create and organise documentation material in such a state that it can be preserved (in a designated archive)” (p. 29). They also emphasize the role of human engagement and decision-making in policy development and documentation practices.In the second chapter, Daniel Löwenborg discusses the divide between data creation and its reuse for research. He echoes the previous chapter in discussing how the heterogenous nature of archaeological documentation makes reuse in new contexts challenging. Speaking mainly from the perspective of contract archaeology in Sweden (which constitutes the vast majority of new archaeological data there), he discusses how each project will collect different information depending on the size of the project, data management policies, differences in data modeling, data storage, and a host of other factors. These practices are detrimental to data access and reuse, which are needed for reaching beyond single sites in cultural resource management. The chapter provides a helpful discussion of the pros and cons ofstandardization, recommending simple steps to ensure a certain amount of interoperability of data sets to facilitate reuse without forcing standardization so that “the unique character of the documentation is appreciated and accounted for” (p. 49).In Chapter 3, Nicolò Dell'Unto continues with the thread of data reuse, arguing that we cannot divorce the collection of digital data from the expertise to interpret it. In order to create data sets that support research, we need not just the technology but domain expertise for engagement with the data at different levels. Although 3D models are being collected, archived, and often made available openly, it is not clear whether they are useful for new research. Similar to the preceding chapter, Dell'Unto emphasizes the need for guidelines for data creation and knowledge production in using 3D media.Chapter 4 by Bodil Petersson (text) and Carolina Larsson (illustrations and technical explanations) moves into the various ways that museums are engaging with visitors through the use of technology. While the growth of “single user” experience with technology takes away from the group experience in museums, the chapter provides examples of different ways that technology is being used for engagement with the past. It stresses the importance of collaboration between archaeologists and exhibit developers so that archaeological perspectives can be taken into consideration while planning museum exhibits. Digital technologies have helped museums move from being places of storage to places for storytelling. Advanced digital tools allow for the creation of immersive experiences even if the physical objects are not on display. These tools also help bridge from the scientific presentation of data by archaeologists to its use by museums for storytelling and engagement. The chapter offers many approaches to storytelling that can help museum visitors engage with objects and displays, and a helpful list of websites so readers can further explore these resources.Per Stenborg's Chapter 5 segues nicely from the previous chapter by starting with a discussion of engagement with digital versions of objects versus the objects themselves. The examples provided in this chapter demonstrate the potential for digital tools to connect people worldwide with objects that they may never be able to see in person. The concluding discussion of the civil use of the Internet, including the promise of openness and the threat of control and propaganda (“‘Open’ information is not synonymous with ‘True’ information” [p. 119]), is a topic that merits much more discussion by archaeologists and, as Stenborg states, continual development and debate.Chapters 6 and 7, both written by the editor, help unify the volume by bringing examples from the previous chapters back to the book's stated intention of identifying ways that digitality impacts archaeology—specifically, how and at what point the impacts occur. Huvila discusses impacts to infrastructure, workflows, research questions, collection practices, display practices, and stakeholders, including the producers and reusers of archaeological information. This discussion explores different aspects of archaeological knowledge work, including issues of labor, skills, and shifting institutional and personal expectations about the value and purpose of archaeological knowledge production.Cross-cutting all chapters is the notion that archaeology is an extremely diverse discipline and digital practices are well established in all areas. Digital technologies have quickly shifted well-established practices of pre-digital collection, archiving, and dissemination of archaeological knowledge. The playing field has shifted, opening up new possibilities for future public engagement with archaeology. The embeddedness of digital approaches into our current practices means that we can now anticipate being able to do new things while we also grapple with how to incorporate pre-digital practices into our current work.In a 2015 white paper prepared for the Beyond Data Literacy Workshop, Rahul Bhargava and colleagues highlighted the importance of “equipping individuals to understand the underlying principles and challenges of data” (Bhargava et al. 2015: v) rather than focusing on mastery of particular tools or skills. At the surface there are the tools and skills, but underlying them is the longer and deeper development of a foundation of data literacy. This volume's strength is that it focuses not on ephemeral tools, but on understanding the many ways that we conduct archaeological scholarship in today's digital society.Although the seven contributors to the volume are all from Swedish institutions and many of the case studies and examples provided are from Swedish projects, the volume's themes are widely applicable. As noted in the introduction, digitality impacts all areas of knowledge-making in archaeology, including the choices of people and roles that receive credit for their contributions. The interdisciplinary approach, drawing on both archaeology and information studies, adds refreshing new perspectives. Any contribution with the word “digital” runs the risk of going quickly out-of-date because it is too focused on the use of specific tools or apps. That is not the case for this volume, which promises lasting value because it explores how digital approaches (regardless of the actual tool used) impact how we perceive the past and our roles in preservation and communication of archaeological content.