Blog

New issue of the CSA newsletter (April 2012)

Andrea — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:48:33 GMT

Announcing that the April, 2012, issue - Volume XXV, No. 1 - of the _CSA Newsletter_ is now available at http://csanet.org/newsletter/#winter12 "Changing Web Standards and Long-Term Web Access" Can we really use the web for important text? -- Harrison Eiteljorg, II http://csanet.org/newsletter/spring12/nls1201.html "Website Review: Glassway, Glass from the antiquities to the contemporary age" An older website that can serve as an exemplar. -- Andrea Vianello http://csanet.org/newsletter/spring12/nls1202.html "Website Review: The Acropolis Virtual Tour" Spectacular imagery in search of a rationale. -- Harrison Eiteljorg, II http://csanet.org/newsletter/spring12/nls1203.html "Project Publication on the Web -- Addendum II The importance of multiple languages for websites. -- Andrea Vianello http://csanet.org/newsletter/spring12/nls1204.html "Digital Data in Archaeology" Where do digital data fit? -- Harrison Eiteljorg, II http://csanet.org/newsletter/spring12/nls1205.html Comments on any ... Read the rest of this entry »

CSA Newsletter, January 2012

Andrea — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:11:16 GMT

The January 2012 edition of the CSA newsletter is now online. Readers may be interested in my review of the website of Dikili Tash and an addendum to a project on publishing field projects on the Web that I am running together with the editor of the newsletter, Harrison Eiteljorg, II. It will be very interesting also to read "Websites as Stable Resources", which is a sombre article on how much volatile academic websites are and "Evolving Web Standards: a Blessing and a Curse", where PDF is identified as best format to archive contents (I agree, but would prefer something designed specifically for the purpose). The forum opened for our project is still available. There are many visitors, but no one so far has taken the plunge and participated. I understand that websites rank low among the priorities of project directors, and yet they offer a cost-effective mean to publish (at least some data) and propagate information to a broader audience. I have reviewed very recent websites in the... Read the rest of this entry »

Web publishing for archaeologists

Andrea — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:20:50 GMT

Harrison Eiteljorg II and I have launched a forum to discuss our project on web publishing aimed squarely at archaeologists. We have published in the CSA newsletter four articles on the subjects, and we presented our project in front of a sizeable audience in Oslo, at the 17th EAA annual meeting. There was much discussion about it there. I summarise here a few points: it was suggested that purpose-built websites based may help archaeologists reaching the Web. In particular, could provide a good framework to start publishing data. It was emphasised the necessity for linking to social media. --My personal stance on this is that each team should publish their data as best as possible, with websites following standards and guidelines, but adapted to the necessities coming from individual projects. Each project is unique. I also do not believe in social media to publish data. These sites are great to communicate, and it is easy to set up personal or project-wide pages on the social media ... Read the rest of this entry »

EAA 2011

Andrea — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:47:20 GMT

I have attended the 17th EAA annual meeting in Oslo last September. The conference has provided o... Read the rest of this entry »

A footnote on my discussion of 3D

Andrea — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:17:00 GMT

In a previous post I reviewed Cave of Forgotten Dreams. In doing so, I also presented some thoughts about 3D and its uses. My current thinking remains unaltered: 3D can be useful to produce quality materials and films. Its use, however, is being abused, and conversions, unnecessary or forced deployment (including in gadgets such as mobile phones and laptops) make it a controversial topic. Depending on personal experience or material considered, the impressions about the technology can be wildly different. I am not convinced that "3D is here to stay" in the sense that it transpires from the entertainment industry. In fact, 3D has always been with us, and recent (3D Blu-Ray players and 3D professional videocameras) and near technology (3D TV sets without glasses) advances will undoubtedly make 3D productions more regular, and a staple of what will be available. 3D is not suitable for all situations however, and the same is true for sound and colour. I found a nice picture outlining the... Read the rest of this entry »

Internet for archaeology (VTS)

Andrea — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:43:20 GMT

I am pleased to announce that my virtual training suite (VTS), an electronic module aimed at students unfamiliar with key electronic resources for archaeology, is now available for download. I hope to be able to update that short course in the near future. I would add to the list of useful resources the The Ancient World Online blog, especially for its list of (mostly) free e-journals. The VTS remains still useful and fairly updated for now, so please have a look if you do not know it already. The guide is suitable for students from FE to postgraduate level, and staff may find useful too.

Andrea

A few more thoughts on science and how people perceives it

Andrea — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:20:09 GMT

Just a few days ago, in my previous post, I discussed how people (including those who need to take public decisions) can have personal ideas of what science is. This was prompted by my own observations of recent archaeological news that I discussed in this blog and the publication of the BBC Science coverage report that criticised the current state of affairs. One of the points that I tried to make was that science very rarely comes to definitive conclusions or achieves understandings that need not any further work. This is not a criticism of science, I fault those thinking of science as a belief, that cannot be challenged or modified. Science is more like a collective baggage of knowledge, which is constantly revised, improved and expanded as new data, models, theories and discoveries are made. There are things that are now known very well, but our explanations have also moved forward to more complex situations, and what is known is never satisfactory for researchers. If it was,... Read the rest of this entry »

Review of BBC Science Coverage

Andrea — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:56:00 GMT

I have briefly discussed in a few posts now that the reporting of science (and archaeology) has been concerned too much with headline-grabbing piece of news rather than meditated news, as it should be done by journalists. Evidence of this comes from the reporting of climate-change (reports about ancient climates) and human evolution that I have discussed multiple times. I commented several news, pointing out that whilst the research behind the news is serious and laudable, the actual news generalise or oversimplify matters to a point where contradictory news can make the round of mass media the same week (e.g. whether Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans ever met). The result is confusion for the general public and ridicule to solid science. The general public cannot be told different things without explanation, as this appears as if scientists do not know, or are bickering unprofessionally. I generally use the BBC as primary source for scientific news, since it is the... Read the rest of this entry »

Earliest Europeans yet

Andrea — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:07:22 GMT

Another important paper on human evolution has been published, this time in PlosONE, using evidence from the archaeological site of Buran-Kaya III located in Crimea (Ukraine). In a twist that simply reinforces my feeling that research in human evolution is still too cutting-edge to actually prove anything one way or another, Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans did coexist in Europe according to this latest study. I wrote less than two months ago about the possibility that they did not coexist, according to the latest study then. I did express some caution then on some headlines ("preliminary results"; "not that important"). I am not against any of the studies: each advances our understanding and is valuable, but it is frankly ridiculous what is being deduced or inferred from such regional studies on much larger scales. Researchers in the field do not do that, but just about everyone else does it given the interest on the topic. The final result will be, as usual, that many... Read the rest of this entry »

On writing

Andrea — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:00:00 GMT

It is recent news that the American state of Indiana will no longer require schoolchildren to learn handwriting. This news has been discussed in America at length and I do not wish to outline pros and cons of such a move. Instead, I present here some reflections prompted by the news. I think that prioritising typewriting is a good choice: today computers and electronic equipment rule. Even if I have used exclusively handwriting in my school days, I can say that the vast majority of my written communication is typewritten, and so it has been for long. There are times that I pick up a pen and find myself at loss on how to use it. Yet, I still use a pen on occasion. I can understand that schools should concentrate on core skills, and the curricula are always expanding, pressuring teachers on balancing what can be done in a class and what must be excluded. In the UK there have been recent calls from politicians to teach how to be a good citizen and other basic skills in Higher... Read the rest of this entry »

Exotica in the prehistoric Mediterranean

Andrea — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 19:07:55 GMT

I am happy to announce that the edited volume Exotica in the prehistoric Mediterranean is now out. This volume was ideated after a successful session that I organised at the 13th meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Zadar, Croatia. All papers have been peer reviewed and checked for quality (including proof reading). As editor, I wrote some interstitial texts to group and bridge the papers, so that readers can follow a single narrative cover to cover or access any contribution independently. The type of contributions make it suitable for both students and researchers. It is possible to treat the papers as advanced studies of exotica using a broad selection of methodological approaches and interests as you would expect from a reader for students or as an up to date summary of recent research by leading researchers. I am particularly happy to note the international character of the volume, with contributors based in 11 countries. The volume is relatively compact at 216 ... Read the rest of this entry »

Human evolution on the BBC

Andrea — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:01:00 GMT

If you are based in the UK, then you can watch a new program, Planet of the Apemen, a docu-drama that should present some of the current research. It will air today (Thursday 23 June 2011 at 20:00 on BBC One and the second part will be next week). You can find an article presenting the program in BBC News. The program is in two parts and includes reconstructions. I have no connection with the BBC program. I expect however that some "most likely" theories will be presented, but if you followed my previous posts or news about discoveries relevant to early humans, you should know that some topics are not settled yet within the archaeological community. Alternative theories deemed to be at least possible may still overturn our understanding. The BBC produced Walking with Cavemen in 2003, a series on the same topic that I did not like. Recent docu-dramas such as Atlantis also have left me wishing for something different. I think that it would be best in some cases to show the... Read the rest of this entry »

Hominoids of Swabia

Andrea — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:01:00 GMT

The University of Tübingen has announced the publication of a paper reporting the discovery and dating to 17 mya (million year ago) of a hominoid (great ape) found in Swabia, southern Germany. Böhme, M., et al., Bio-magnetostratigraphy and environment of the oldest Eurasian hominoid from the Early Miocene of Engelswies (Germany), Journal of Human Evolution (2011), doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.04.012. This is a significant study presenting a probable dead-end in ape evolution that was previously unknown and providing a glimpse on movements of great apes that may have relevance in the study of human evolution. It looks like that great apes, including hominids, moved across long distances and populated nearby continents (Europe from Africa) at very early periods. Although this discovery is only the oldest so far, hominoids are known to have populated Europe later, and the second oldest example dates to about 14 million years ago. This trend of repeated attempts to populate... Read the rest of this entry »

In the news: Neanderthals apparently did not coexist with modern humans in Europe

Andrea — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:32:04 GMT

In May 2011 Pinhasi et alii have published a paper suggesting that Neanderthals living near the Caucasus Mountains had disappeared before the arrival of anatomically modern humans. Despite this, the two species of hominins must have met and interbred since there are remnants of Neanderthal DNA in contemporary humans according to research by David Reich. The research suggests that the two species met outside Europe, most likely in the Middle East. It is also possible that limited populations of Neanderthals surviving in Europe after 40,000 years ago may be responsible for the interbreeding. The results from DNA obtained by Reich actually demonstrate that all humans that moved out of Africa have traces of the interbreeding, and not just Europeans. It is too early to decide what happened: all authors are involved in further research and more surprises are still possible. If these preliminary results will be confirmed however, next top question will be why Neanderthals were declining in... Read the rest of this entry »

‘Central Mediterranean Prehistory’ meeting: a report

Andrea — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:43:07 GMT

On Wednesday 18 May 2011 I have attended the meeting "Central Mediterranean Prehistory: Current Debates and New Directions" at the University of Durham, organised by Dr Robin Skeates and Ms Agni Prijatelj. I found it particularly interesting for me, but then I am biased since I was one of the speakers. I summarise here some of the points made during the day, mainly for those who could not participate. I have to say that the detail of the report depend on my personal interests: I am not chronicling or summarising the event. Robert Leighton presented the first paper, about Pantalica. He has carried out a GPS survey in 2010 recording the location of several rock-cut tombs. He reported that from his estimate there are less than 4,000 tombs in Pantalica, with ca. 5,000 consistently reported in the literature (both are estimates). Regardless of the exact number of tombs, Pantalica is a very large cemetery, but is still poorly studied. He drew some attention towards the non-funerary... Read the rest of this entry »

The Value of the Arts and Humanities in the 21st Century - a report

Andrea — Sat, 07 May 2011 15:07:00 GMT

On Thursday 5th May 2011 a public debate on The Value of the Arts and Humanities in the 21st Century had been organised at the University of Sheffield. I have attended the event and I decided to write a personal report about it. Among the participants were (in alphabetic order) David Blunkett; Mike Braddick; Robert Hewison; Peter Hitchens; Nigel Shardlow; and David Sweeney. Parts of debate, especially exchanges between David Blunkett and Peter Hitchens were openly of political nature, and will not be discussed here. Controversial ideas, or ideas that received no support from other discussants are also ignored here. The reason for having such a debate is the threat to public funding of arts and humanities in European and American universities following the budget cuts resulting from the current global economic crisis. The "debate" consisted of short presentations (without slides) from the panellists and a short debate within the panellists, partly addressing very few questions... Read the rest of this entry »

Archaeology in the news - May 2011

Andrea — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:59:00 GMT

I have commented several times on archaeological news in the recent past, but I have been silent for a while because most of the recent news of general interest concerned the conservation of antiquities in areas of political trouble (especially Egypt and the Middle East). In the recent issues of Science and Nature magazines, the dynamism of research in human evolution offers once again some reason to comment. Nature reports on the on-going controversy in archaeology about the sequencing of ancient DNA, with contamination being the main issue. This is hardly new, as contamination has been a problem in the field for long and it is featured prominently in an interview/podcast with Mrs Keri Brown, Manchester University. In the article, it emerges that two different approaches have been undertaken by scholars, opting not to interact as much as possible. This is bad for science and especially bad for communicating science to the public. The controversy surrounds DNA extracted from... Read the rest of this entry »

CSA Newsletter: continuing collaboration

Andrea — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:01:46 GMT

I am happy to announce the April 2011 issue of the CSA Newsletter. "Project Publication on the Web -- II" What are the motivating factors? -- Andrea Vianello and Harrison Eiteljorg, II Website Review: Archaeological Institute of America The AIA's redesigned website. -- Phoebe A. Sheftel Website Review: Kerma An archaeological project from Africa on the web. -- Andrea Vianello "Calibration or Ground-Truthing Is Critical" Confidence in analyses requires confidence in the base data. -- Harrison Eiteljorg, II "Let Us Set the Mental Juices Flowing" Artifacts should tell a story, not be the story. -- Harrison Eiteljorg, II In this issue Harrison Eiteljorg, II and I are continuing an important series of articles on publishing archaeological projects online. This time, we deal with the issue of motivation: if you are uncertain about the relevancy of this series to you, this is the best article to begin reading the series. I am biased towards it, of course, but also very proud of where the... Read the rest of this entry »

3D artefacts in archaeology: some thoughts

Andrea — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 19:18:34 GMT

Perhaps because archaeology still fascinates the great public, archaeologists are at the forefront of the use of some technologies for both research and communication of results. I have recently visited the exhibition on Growing Knowledge: The Evolution of Research at the British Library, London, including a section on "The Future of the Ancient World" research project by The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London. I shall focus on this section here. The display made of one PC running software displaying a few 3D reconstructions of artefacts and two 3D active glasses shows how museums are adapting to the digital age. It is easy to predict that soon enough it will be expected from archaeologists a stream of digital data suitable for archival and communication purposes together with the materials. At the moment, projects such as the one pioneered by the Petrie Museum are still experimental and attached to grants. UCL Museums and Collections have been awarded a grant from the... Read the rest of this entry »

Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams: a personal review

Andrea — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:48:00 GMT

I have recently attended a screening of Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3D about the parietal art at Chauvet Cave. I present here some comments from the experience, focusing on both the 3D technology and the archaeological (and cultural) value of the documentary. This is an unusual documentary in that it could be described as a personal video-diary of Werner Herzog in his exploration of the topic of the earliest Palaeolithic art in Europe (which he seems to think as the earliest evidence of symbolic or complex thought, ignoring the evidence from Africa, such as the case of Blombos Cave). The photography is also amateurish for the most part (with good reason, as we shall see later), reinforcing the impression that the final product is not a typical documentary. The best recent example that comes to my mind of something similar is Attenborough and the Giant Egg, a factual program with David Attenborough presenting a personal research with as much focus on the researched... Read the rest of this entry »