A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS

The studies of archaeology frequently involve the study of the spatial dimension of human activity over time and all archaeology carries a spatial component, the combination of GIS and archaeology has been thought to be a natural match.

The outcomes of archaeological research are rich in spatial information because archaeology examines the progression of historical events across geography, time, and culture. GIS is skilled at processing these massive amounts of data, especially Georeferenced data. It is a quick, accurate, and affordable tool. The tools provided by GIS aid in data gathering, storage, and retrieval, data transformation for specific situations, and finally data display such that it is user-understandable visually. However, the most significant feature of GIS in archaeology is not its usage as a purely mapping tool, but rather its ability to combine and analyze many forms of data to provide new insights. The use of GIS in archaeology has altered not only how data is collected and visualized, but also how researchers approach space itself. As a result, rather than being an unbiased tool, GIS has evolved into a science.

Preservation and archaeology depend on survey and recording, and GIS enables this fieldwork and research effective and exact. To avoid losing important data that could have an impact on archaeological sites and studies, research using GIS capabilities is employed as a decision-making tool. Through the collection and upkeep of information about historical sites, it is a vital instrument that supports regional planning and cultural resource efficiency to protect resources that have been valued. When utilized on-site at the dig site, GIS facilitates the ability to map and record data in archaeology. This makes it possible to immediately access the data gathered for analysis and visualization as a standalone study or to combine it with data from other pertinent sources to better comprehend the site and its conclusions.

Companies that are involved with using large tracts of land resources, like the Department of Transportation, use GIS’s capacity to model and predict possible archaeological sites. Historical sites and other locations must expressly be evaluated for effect as part of federally supported projects, according to Section 106 of the National Preservation Act.

Predictive modeling can be used to find archaeological sites which may exist or that may be significant. The management then makes pertinent judgments and develops a development plan using these investigations and their findings. This procedure is quicker and more accurate because to GIS.

Archaeological study employs a variety of procedures and GIS features. Understanding the genesis, process of change, and documentation of the site are all aided by intra-site spatial analysis / distributional analysis of the information on the site. Research, analysis, and conclusions are the result of this. The outdated techniques used for this give a limited view of the location and give a sparse image of patterns over large areas.

To create models and combine them with archaeological data for better analysis, predictive modeling is utilized to collect data from sources like hydrography and hypsography. In GIS, point data are used to interpolate scattered points, examine patterns in data sets, and focus on point locations. In order to locate occupied levels in a site, density mapping is utilized to analyze location trends, and interpolation is used to help surface findings by creating surfaces from point data. It is more typical to use aerial data. It emphasizes the geography and the terrain and aids in contextualizing and interpreting archaeological sites. Predictive modeling is used to examine aerial data in order to forecast the locations of sites and materials in a given area.

Multiple data sets can be stored, manipulated, and combined using GIS, enabling sophisticated analysis of the landscape. Catchment analysis is the study of the areas within a site’s catchment, or the area that can be reached with a certain amount of time or effort. View shed analysis is the study of the geographic areas that are viewable from a particular point. This has been applied to interpret how places relate to their social environment. A simulation is a condensed version of reality that aims to model phenomena by highlighting important factors and how they interact.

CONCLUSION

In recent years, it has become evident that in order to fully utilize GIS or any other spatial technology, archaeologists must first understand the unique risks and opportunities associated with the collection and analysis of archaeological data. In archaeology, geographical and temporal patterns and features are sought after and investigated through archaeoinformation science. Quantitative techniques and computer software designed exclusively for archaeological problem solving and comprehension have been developed as a result of research into a distinctively archaeological approach to information processing.