Ateneo - UPO

Laboratory of Archaeology

Topic: Archaeology and the digital: research methods and frontiers for the study of the past

Franco Cambi, "Manuale di archeologia dei paesaggi Metodologie, fonti, contesti", Roma 2011 (ed edizioni successive)

For more details (non-mandatory texts):
Margherita Bartoli, "Metodologie e strumenti di studio digitali per l’archeologia. Nuovi strumenti per la documentazione archeologica", in "DigItalia", 9-1, 2014, pp. 67-86 file:///C:/Users/eleonora/Downloads/Bartoli.pdf

The course aims, at a basic level, to transfer to students the ability:
• (knowledge and understanding): to know the main digital tools available for archaeological research
• (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): to recognise the main areas of digital application in archaeological research
• (making judgements): to express a general assessment of digital methodologies applied to archaeology
• (communication skills): to express the required content clearly and through appropriate consequentiality
• (learning skills): to autonomously identify, using what has been learnt during the lessons, the main issues for the identification and choice of appropriate digital methodologies

At a more advanced level, students will acquire the ability:
• (knowledge and understanding): to know in greater depth and through specific case studies the digital methodologies most commonly applied in archaeology;
• (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): to identify the specificities of the contexts to which the various digital methodologies in the service of archaeology can be applied
• (making judgements): to express precise evaluations of the use of digital methodologies in relation to the various fields of application in archaeology
• (communication skills): to present the required content in a clear, reasoned manner and with thematic connections between different sites
• (learning skills): to learn, through meetings and individual study, the complexity of the interaction between theoretical concepts and practical applications in the use of digital methodologies

interest in the applied aspects of archaeological research methodologies

Seminar meetings in the University. The method adopted, due to the very nature of the Workshop, envisages constant interaction and broad involvement of the students.
Some teaching materials useful for the conduct of the Workshop will be made available on DIR.

The Laboratory, aimed at undergraduate and master's degree students of “Lettere” and “Filologia moderna classica e comparata” and all interested students, is seminar-based and includes a practical activity; regular attendance is therefore highly recommended.
The Laboratory is included in 'Further Activities'. Students whose study plan includes these activities in a year other than 2024-2025 may still follow the Laboratory in this academic year, acquiring the relative credits, by sending advance notice to the Student Secretariat. The Laboratory can also be used to obtain supernumerary credits, especially for those who wish to further their practical work in archaeology.

Activity programme:
*Monday 2 December 2024, 2.30-5.30 p.m.: Introduction to digital technologies in archaeology

*Thursday, 5 December 2024, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-6 p.m.: Introduction to GIS (Geographic Information System) technology with Prof. Carlo Citter of the University of Siena (practical exercises)

*Friday, 6 December 2024, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-6 p.m.: Introduction to GIS (Geographic Information System) technology with Prof. Carlo Citter of the University of Siena (practical exercises)

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request
specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse
e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-
physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted
the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination
modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The Laboratory provides for a final assessment of suitability/non-suitability; suitability is achieved with an 80% pass mark.
Students will be asked to submit a written report on the contents learned during the activity, between 10,000 and 12,000 characters in length, accompanied by appropriate iconographic apparatus. The judgement will be based on: knowledge of the topics covered (30%); ability to display the digital methodologies learnt and to illustrate their application in archaeology (40%); ability to structure the report clearly, organising the text organically (30%).

The workshop, tought as a seminar, is aimed at getting to know some of the digital tools that new technologies offer archaeology for a more in-depth knowledge of the relationship between Man and the territory, with particular reference to the geographical distribution of settlements, the use of natural resources and the behaviour of human communities in the area in which they live, through important transformations in different historical periods.
- learning unit 1: introduction to the application of digital technology in archaeology, from the documentation of excavations to the 3D reconstruction of ancient sites and landscapes, and the study of historical landscapes
- learning unit 2: the GIS system for archaeological research: introduction to a tool for understanding the relationship between man and territory in ancient times
- didactic unit 3: the GIS system for archaeological research: application experiences

In order to attain the knowledge and skills corresponding to the basic level, the student is asked:
• (knowledge and understanding): to demonstrate knowledge of the main digital tools in use in archaeological research;
• (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): to be able to identify the main areas of digital application in archaeological research
• (making judgements): to be able to assess, in relation to the case studies investigated, the potential and limitations of the main digital tools in use in archaeology
• (communication skills): to demonstrate a basic level of expository mastery and knowledge of technical terminology with reference to digital tools
(learning skills): to demonstrate assimilation of the fundamental principles underlying the use of digital methodologies in archaeology

In order to achieve an advanced level, students are requested:
• (knowledge and understanding): to demonstrate knowledge of the implications of the use of digital technology for historical reconstruction in archaeology
• (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): to be able to distinguish the characteristics of the different digital tools at the service of archaeology and recognise their appropriateness in relation to the different fields of application
• (making judgements): to be able to indicate the criteria according to which the choice of digital tools is made in order to obtain the best result for historical reconstruction
• (communication skills): to demonstrate an accurate level of exposition and argumentation skills, developing an articulate analysis of the case studies addressed
• (learning skills): to demonstrate having assimilated the key concepts, in terms of potential and limits, related to the use of digital tools and to be able to integrate what has been learnt also with reference to new situations.

These learning outcomes are consistent with the provisions of the SUA of the Programme, framework A4.b2 (particularly for the Cultural Heritage Area)