Introduction
The Excavation and Monument Data SIG is focusing on how data can be linked and made accessible to archaeologists and researchers across Europe.
In terms of excavations there are, of course, already very important initiatives underway in Europe (e.g. SITAR, ADS) and the US (Open Context and TDAR) but the question is how to link excavation data and what data needs to be linked (catalogues are obvious, stratigraphy less so). The case of Monuments is easier, as many countries already have sites and monuments registers, although some are better-developed than others. A final important aspect is data from Field Survey (i.e. sites that are not monuments but little more than scatters of shards or stone tools). Although not strictly within the purview of this SIG, the serving and linking of GIS data from the very large number of intensive surveys carried out over the past two decades represents a real need not represented in other aspects of the project.
Contacts
Chair: Elizabeth Fentress. Email.
Co-chair: Edeltraud Aspöck. Email.
Reports
Archiving Initiatives for Archaeological Sites in Europe. July 2016. Report on the results of a survey on digital archiving practices with contributions of correspondents from over 20 countries. Download the report.
Archiving of archaeological digital datasets in Slovenia: current practices. September 2015. Version 1. An overview of archiving practices from 1948 onwards, focussing on current practices since the 2008 cultural heritage legislation. Written by Benjamin Štular of ZRC SAZU,Ljubljana, Slovenia. Download the report.
Survey of Excavation Data Management. April 2015. Report on the results of a survey into the management and storage of excavation data in European countries. Download the report.
Excavation, Monuments and Survey Datasets: role of Fasti Online. January 2015. Short report by Elizabeth Fentress on the growth and continued development of the Fasti Online service, and the possibilities for its expansion into other areas. Download the report.
Excavation and Monument Data SIG, Working document, V2, July 2014. SIG members collaborated on this report which provides an overview of the current state of play of excavation, monument and field survey data in various European countries and outlines the work program of the SIG. Download the report.