Project seminar: Computer science and archaeology
Agnès Voisard
Additional information / Pre-requisites
Requirement
ALP I-III, Foundations of Datenbase Systems, good programming knowledge.
Comments
Research Seminar: Computer Science and Archaeology
Course Description
This research seminar brings together students of Informatics and Ancient Studies to explore the application of computational methods to archaeological questions. The research seminar will be a hands-on approach to digital cultural heritage methods, such as spatial analysis, 3D reconstruction, data mining and the digital processing of archaeological artefacts. Examples of datasets will include, but not be limited to, pottery, stone tools, inscriptions, clay tablets, and landscapes.
A central goal of the seminar is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, with students working in pairs — ideally combining a Computer Science student with an Ancient Studies student. Each team will develop and carry out a small research project that combines technical tools with archaeological data, methods, or research questions.
Topics include, but not limited to:
– 3D analysis of archaeological artifacts and architecture
– Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis
- Machine learning and computer vision for artifact classification
– Usage of databases and digital documentation of excavation data
– OCR/HTR for script in 3D like inscriptions or clay tablets
Students from Informatics will gain experience applying computational techniques in a humanities context, while students from Ancient Studies will be introduced to digital tools and approaches that support archaeological research.
No prior coding experience is required for Ancient Studies students, and no background in archaeology is assumed for Computer Science students.
The seminar is jointly supervised by the Institute of Computer Science and the Archaeoinformatics group of the Institute of Computational Ancient Studies (CompAS) at Freie Universität Berlin, ensuring balanced guidance across disciplines.
Learning Objectives
– Understand interdisciplinary challenges and opportunities in digital archaeology
– Learn to apply and assess computational tools for cultural heritage data
– Develop and present a collaborative, project-based research outcome
– Gain insights into current digital humanities and digital archaeology practices
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Suggested reading
Literature and Data Sources:
Open Access if not stated otherwise:
– ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage
https://dl.acm.org/journal/jocch
– De Gruyter Brill on Open Archaeology (OPAR)
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/journal/key/opar/html
– Elsevir Journal of Archaeological Science (JAS)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-archaeological-science
– Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology (JCAA)
https://journal.caa-international.org/
– Journal of Open Archaeological Data (JOAD)
https://openarchaeologydata.metajnl.com/
– Journal of Open Humanities Data (JOHD)
https://openhumanitiesdata.metajnl.com/
Survey articles and Books:
– Advances in digital pottery analysis
https://doi.org/10.1515/itit-2022-0006
– Digital Assyriology—Advances in Visual Cuneiform Analysis
https://doi.org/10.1145/3491239
– Machine Learning for Ancient Languages: A Survey
https://doi.org/10.1162/coli_a_00481
– Airborne laser scanning raster data visualization. A Guide to Good Practice
https://doi.org/10.3986/9789612549848
– Digital Humanities, Eine Einführung (German, no Open Acces)
https://link.springer.com/book/9783476047687
– New Technologies for Archaeology, Multidisciplinary Investigations in Palpa and Nasca, Peru (no Open Acces) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87438-6
– Digging in documents: using text mining to access the hidden knowledge in Dutch archaeological excavation reports https://hdl.handle.net/1887/3274287
Databases (related to research partners):
– Heidelberg Objekt- und Multimediadatenbank (HeidICON)
https://heidicon.ub.uni-heidelberg.de
– Kooperative Erschließung und Nutzung der Objektdaten von Münzsammlungen
https://www.kenom.de/
– Art Institute of Chicago (API)
https://api.artic.edu/docs/
– FactGrid, a database for historical research
https://database.factgrid.de/wiki/Main_Page
– Research infrastructures of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), multiple DBs:
https://idai.world
– Heidelberg Accession Index (HAI): Zugangsbücher und Bestandsverzeichnisse deutscher Sammlungen und Museen https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/de/hai/index.html
– Bilddatenbank des Kunsthistorische Instituts (GeschKult, FU)
https://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/e/khi/ressourcen/diathek/digitale_diathek/index.html
– Epigraphic Database Heidelberg
https://edh.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/
– Ubi Erat Lupa – Bilddatenbank zu antiken Steindenkmälern
https://lupa.at/
– Hethitologie-Portal Mainz
https://hethport.uni-wuerzburg.de
– Altägyptische Kursivschriften und Digitale Paläographie (AKU-PAL)
https://aku-pal.uni-mainz.de/graphemes
– Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan (German and Spanish)
https://www.classicmayan.org
18 Class schedule
Regular appointments
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