[Site Reviews Home]
Archaeology Site Reviews
Unicode fonts for ancient scripts
[21 Jul 2010 at 7:00pm]
The Unicode Fonts for Ancient Scripts website by George Douros is a simple page from which a set of fonts with typefaces created from ancient scripts can be freely downloaded. The fonts can be used and modified free of charge. There fonts are Unicode compatible and include the Aegean (Linear B and other scripts such as the Phaistos Disk); Egyptian (both hieroglyphics and translitteration characters); Akkadian; and Greek sets. The fonts need to be installed on a local computer to be usable (access a PC as administrator) in Word or similar software packages.
|
Supporting community archaeology in the UK
[13 Jul 2010 at 7:00pm]
The "Supporting Community Archaeology in the UK" website produced by for The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) publishes an updated report (in PDF format) by Dr Suzie Thomas entitled "Community Archaeology in the UK: Recent Findings". The report concludes that in 2010 up to 215,000 individuals may be available to be involved in such projects, a resource to be assessed against the declining role of universities in excavations due to funding cuts.Professional archaeologists are usually in charge of such projects, but excavation only accounts for about 410f such projects and it is emphasised in the report that the skills brought by volunteers are often ignored. "Popular activities [among the volunteers] include recording through photography, attending talks or lectures, lobbying on heritage issues, and fieldwalking". The sustainability of the projects is a serious concern. Local conditions and communities affect deeply such projects and their outcomes. The website also includes a blog and a series of presentations (also in PDF format) from a workshop on the subject. Anyone interested in archaeology in the UK or anywhere else should read the report as community archaeology offers great potential that has not been fully recognised or tapped yet.
|
Minerva : the international review of ancient art and archeology
[28 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
'Minerva : the international review of ancient art and archaeology' is a major British journal established in 1990. The website has news and reviews from the current issue, and at June 2010 the magazine archives offer selected topical full-text features from 18 issues (July/Aug 2007 to May/June 2010), together with some reviews. There are also tables of contents. The website also has details of the editors, subscriptions, back issue sales, and contact information.
|
Staffordshire hoard, the
[28 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
This is currently the main website for the 1,500-item Staffordshire Hoard. The Hoard is a very large and significant find of Anglo-Saxon worked gold and silver, discovered by a metal detectorist in a mid Staffordshire field in 2009. The find was saved for the nation through public fund-raising in 2010, and will be permanently displayed in Stoke-on-Trent (the collecting authority museum) and Birmingham in the UK. At June 2010 the website has: an archive of the initial press and media materials; details of the partners working to conserve and buy the Hoard; a questions and answers page; potted biographies of the individuals concerned; and an interactive slide show of the excavation of a village of the period. The most useful parts of the website for scholars will be found via the Artefacts page - an initial 'Catalogue of the objects in the hoard' which is available for download as a PDF file. This catalogue is accompanied by a 659 image gallery of the Hoard.
|
Radiography of the past (RADIO-PAST)
[27 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
The website of the EU funded project RADIO-PAST (radiography of the past) publishes information about the project and its teaching and research activities. The project has its base at Ammaia (a Roman site), Portugal, where most field activities are being carried out. A gallery of images shows many artefacts and architectural structures from Ammaia; there are also short videos and panoramic images. The website also briefly presents many remote sensing technologies, including aerial photography; LiDAR; georadar; magnetometer; digital elevation models; field surveys; virtual modelling; and material culture studies.These encompass airborne remote sensing; geophysical survey; topographical and geomorphological survey; and field survey. In addition to present the technologies, short reports have been made available of all trials made using these and other techniques at Ammaia; there is an updated bibliography. The navigation of this website is very neat. Students interested in field methodologies and techniques as well as anyone interested in Roman Ammaia may find this website useful.
|
Journal of nordic archaeological science (JONAS)
[14 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
The Journal of Nordic Archaeological Science (JONAS) publishes original theoretical and applied papers by experienced and younger researchers within the field of archaeological science. The papers are available free and full-text from this website, which also contains information about the journal. The journal publishes preferably papers from authors based in the Nordic–Baltic area; all papers are peer-reviewed. The topics range across all aspects of archaeology of Europe and are not limited to the northern regions. Researchers in particular may find this website useful.
|
Ename center for public archaeology and heritage presentation
[10 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
The Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation website publishes news and information about the activities of the centre. The centre has focused in the past in the heritage of the Flanders, Belgium, and has been the driving force leading to the "ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites", also known as the "ICOMOS Ename Charter". The centre currently focuses on how communities, with their knwoledge and stories, can be connected to the local heritage, landscape and past history. How the past affects humans in the contemporary world is also a main subject. The website outlines the recent projects run by staff at the centre and intends to publish a series of digital publications in PDF format; at the time of review only the "Basic Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Professionals in the Use of Information Technologies. How can ICT support Cultural Heritage" booklet was available. The website will interest primarily anyone concerned with public archaeology and community archaeology.
|
Archives of aegeanet
[9 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
The archives of AEGEANET, the "discussion list for the Aegean Bronze Age", are available to be browsed for free on this website. The mailing list is open to anyone interested in Aegean archaeology, and participants are primarily students and scholars. The contents are mixed, and include questions; news of discoveries; job listings (especially based in the USA); and announcements of conferences. No particular information is guaranteed to appear in the discussion list and the volume of emails is variable. The archives have a search facility. To subscribe to the active list, mail to (all quotation marks to be removed) "listproc@ku.edu" the message (in the body of the email): "sub egeanet Your Name"; or use "unsub aegeanet" to unsubscribe. To receive AegeaNet in digest form (i.e. to receive one email every day with all messages bundled together), subscribe and then send as second command: "set aegeanet mail digest".
|
Kretika chronika
[2 Jun 2010 at 7:00pm]
"Kretika Chronika" was a journal published in Heraklion from 1947 onwards by Andreas G. Kalokerinos and the first 14 volumes (I/1947 – XIV/1960) are republished in digital format in this website. The website is available in Greek and English, but most articles are available in Greek only and can be downloaded as PDF files. The journal focused on archaeology, history, folklore and literary scholarship of Crete from ancient times to the early 20th century. Contributors included leading scholars such as Nikolaos Platon, Menelaos Parlamas, Stylianos Alexiou, Doro Levi, George Miles, Manousos Manousakas, Emmanouil Kriaras, Nikolaos Panagiotakis, Gareth Morgan and Spiros Marinatos, and many more. Thanks to the Society of Cretan Historical Studies, 405 articles of scholarship, many still valuable beyond their historical value, are now available free and full-text. Researchers in particular may find this website useful.
|
BBC : history : British Isles coast gallery
[31 May 2010 at 7:00pm]
This website, hosted by the BBC, presents twelve historical coastal locations chosen by archaeologist Mark Horton. For each location there is a picture and an extensive comment by Horton on its historical and archaeological importance. The pages can be accessed directly or in sequence as in a slideshow. The main strength of this simple website is that it presents the changing uses of the British coastline throughout history. Among the featured sites are St Catherine's lighthouse, the castles of Bamburgh and Tintagel, Dun Carloway (Dun Cí rlabhagh) and the HMS Victory. This site is aimed at the general public and younger students.
|
Institute for Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies
[31 May 2010 at 7:00pm]
The website of the Institute of Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies (IAMS), an international research body which since 1973 has promoted the study of the origins and developments of metallurgy within its cultural and historical context from the earliest period to recent times. The website sketches the background to previous research in ancient metallurgy and provides a useful chronicle of IAMS-sponsored projects in major metal producing areas of the ancient world, including the Sinai, the Negev (particularly at Timna in the Arabah Valley), south-western Britain and the Rio Tinto Valley in Spain, together with a guide to current research and teaching and an index of the Trustees and Scientific Committee of the Institute. Modern research into the technical and cultural history of ancient metal working began with the exploration of the Arabah Valley in the Negev region of Israel by Nelson Glueck in the 1930s and 1940s, work which was popularised as the location of 'King Solomon's Mines'. Work here, particularly at Timna, but also in the southern Sinai peninsula by Beno Rothenberg and the IAMS since the 1950s revealed a flourishing history of copper production extending from 6000 BC to the Islamic period which reached its peak during the large-scale processing of metal under the Egyptian New Kingdom (c1550-1150 BC). While the relationship (if any) of Timna with the biblical Solomon remains unproven, IAMS has also supported a major project on the role of metals in Biblical and Talmudic literature. The website also includes a concise news sheet and information on IAMS publications and the annual summer school organised by the Institute. This useful resource will benefit students and researchers interested in the archaeology and history of ancient metal production and technology in general, particularly in Egypt and the Levant.
|
Cappella degli Scrovegni
[31 May 2010 at 7:00pm]
This website available only in Italian publishes information on a virtaul model of Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy, which is accessible by visitors on location. The model has been built to reduce damage from the excessive flux of visitors and is similar to other projects that have been implemented in archaeology (e.g. the reproduction of the Lascaux cave in France). In addition to information useful for students in museum studies on how to produce software products to promote culture while protecting cultural heritage, the website also contains a few composed pictures of the panels with the frescoes and their location in the chapel. Students in museum studies, or visual arts may find this website useful.
|
National park service archeology program
[30 May 2010 at 7:00pm]
This website provides access to the archaeology and ethnography program of the U.S. National Park service. It is a portal to the many projects across America and American legislation on archaeological matters. The projects are accessible via a map or textual hyperlinks from the "sites and collections" section. A special section of the site examines the Antiquities Act. The section entitled "peoples and cultures" presents instead all the ethnographic projects. Another special section worth looking focuses on the so-called Kennewick Man. Research papers and reports present all the research carried out so far and it may be of interest to trace some documents regarding the legal battle that ensued between scientists and Native Americans, the former asking to study the remains, the latter wishing immediate reburial. Those interested in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) will find much information to consider. Overall, this website is very simple in its internal organisation and easy to navigate. There is a large amount of content as the whole US territory is covered.
|
Portale di archeologia medievale
[30 May 2010 at 7:00pm]
The University of Siena, Italy, has produced a portal for students and researchers of medieval archaeology. The research projects and the "online publications" are the most useful sections. Among the projects are several excavations in Tuscany, such as those at Siena, Grosseto, Campiglia Marittima, Piombino and others. The texts are generally brief, but there are several pictures and computer graphics. In particular, GIS technologies have been applied to all the projects. An entire section concentrates on "mapping", largely based on GIS software applications to research. Another section, available only in Italian, focuses on archaeometric analyses on metals, glass and pottery of medieval Italy. The scholarly publications, both papers and full-text ebooks, include manuals of archaeology aimed at students, some general publications of archaeology (such as those on archaeology and computer science) and many publications of medieval archaeology. GIS and mapping also figure prominently in the collection. In particular, the "Quaderni del Dipartimento di Archeologia e Storia delle Arti" and "SAMI Publications" are collections of publications extending beyond the boundaries of medieval archaeology. Some of these publications concentrate on restoration of ancient monuments, scientific analyses in archaeology, pre-industrial glass production, Roman pottery, underwater archaeology, museum studies, landscape archaeology and GIS and computer science in archaeology. All aspects of Italian medieval archaeology are covered. The publications can be freely downloaded in PDF. This site is a valuable resource for all students of archaeology and especially Italian medieval archaeology.
|
Coflein
[30 May 2010 at 7:00pm]
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW). The data can be searched by location (place-name, area or Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 map sheet), by type (the classification or function of a site, monument or building), by keyword or period. Searches can be performed by zooming on an interactive map or via a form. The former solution is suggested for browsing records, while the latter solution is best suited for retrieving specific records, when parameters other than the location are known. The database contains information on the geographical position as well as some basic data of each site. For some records, descriptions and colour pictures are available. This website is a useful reference tool for any archaeologist interested in Wales. Access to the database is free and does not require any registration. Coflein has been developed in association with the database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Canmore.
|
|
|
Warning: include() [function.include]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /home/jdtravel/public_html/lvanj/archaeology-site-reviews/index.php on line 59
Warning: include(http://www.lvanj.org/right.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/jdtravel/public_html/lvanj/archaeology-site-reviews/index.php on line 59
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.lvanj.org/right.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/jdtravel/public_html/lvanj/archaeology-site-reviews/index.php on line 59
|
