Digital Impacts on Archaeological Fieldwork: Advantages and Limitations. Proceedings of the International Workshop held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens, December 4–5, 2024

Paschalis Zafeiriadis (Editor)

Markos Katsianis (Editor)

Søren Handberg (Editor)

About the result
Date:
2026
Language:
English
Total number of pages:
272
ISBN:
978-618-85360-6-7
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/5525341
Result ID:
019e9234f4a1-34e48c9e-d30f-48cc-90ef-fcaf136987d7
Publisher
Norwegian Institute at Athens
Level in the Norwegian Publication Indicator (2026): Not decided
Find in the Norwegian register for publishers
Series
Papers and Monographs from the Norwegian Institute at Athens
Print ISSN: 2459-3230
Level in the Norwegian Publication Indicator (2026): 1
Find in the Norwegian register for publishers
Series number: 16
001-276 — Digital Impacts on Archaeological Fieldwork_cover.pdf
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Copyright 2026 The Norwegian Institute at Athens
Academic chapter
2026
The Thinking Field: Ring-Fencing Creative Space in Digital Archaeological Practice
James Taylor
Holly Wright
Digital practices are now integral to archaeological fieldwork, yet they often replicate traditional methods rather than leveraging the transformative potential of digital technologies. This paper argues that as best practices evolve (shaped by research agendas, infrastructure development, and data standards) digital field archaeology must consciously move beyond the mere emulation of analog workflows. By embedding digital tools into a socialized practice, we can fundamentally reshape archaeological workflows to foster more critical and reflexive engagements with our data. However, the digital transition risks being co-opted in the name of economic efficiency, perhaps pressurizing the working environment1 and potentially constraining creativity and interpretative depth. To counter this, it is imperative to safeguard spaces for creative exploration and playful engagement within digital workflows, ensuring that digital methodologies enhance, rather than erode, archaeological interpretation. Prioritizing such “space to think” both in the field and in our database fields should foster richer insights into the past and reinforces the epistemological value of digital archaeology.
Academic chapter
2026
Excavations Commons: Sharing Fieldwork Data in the Digital Age
Diamantis Panagiotopoulos
Although archaeology is currently evolving at a rapid pace by reinventing itself as a discipline for the study of cultural heritage and by expanding its methods, fields of interests, and aims, the way in which archaeologists treat excavation data continues to defy all efforts at conceptual rethinking, clinging to standards of scientific practice that have long become obsolete. This is quite paradoxical, since new digital tools and—more important still—new social and scientific priorities urge us to overcome the traditional divide between published and unpublished data and to enhance the character of modern archaeology as a collaborative discipline. The present paper seeks to problematize these current challenges by addressing three major aspects of modern excavation projects: a) archaeological ethics of transparency, b) theoretical discussions about archaeological knowledge production and c) purely practical issues of archaeological data management systems. The main objective of this approach is to demonstrate not only the pressing necessity but also the feasibility of a “transparent” excavation and furthermore to discuss some digital concepts and tools that can transform archaeological fieldwork to a genuine field of cultural commons.
Academic chapter
2026
What Digital Documentation Can and Cannot (Yet?) Do – The Case of iDAI.field
Lisa Steinmann
Fabian Riebschläger
Thomas Kleinke
Nicolas Antunes
Simon Hohl
Digital documentation has become widely accepted in archaeological fieldwork, although many projects still use database systems that replicate traditional, analog workflows rather than embracing fully digital processes. This phenomenon limits the interoperability and comparability promised by digital documentation. The development of iDAI.field—a software solution jointly developed by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Head office of the GBV Common Library Network (VZG)—illustrates both the potential and the challenges associated with standardized digital documentation. Initially developed to overcome the problems of isolated project-specific databases, iDAI.field aimed to standardize data management through a unified, relational database. However, early versions faced issues such as complex synchronization, expensive licensing, and data quality problems due to extensive use of free-text fields and ad hoc documentation practices. These challenges prompted a comprehensive redesign and development of a new, open-source solution incorporating features like offline functionality, a flexible data model, multilingual support, and improved usability. Despite advances, fundamental tensions remain between the goals of standardization and the nuanced, qualitative nature of archaeological data. Users frequently adapt database features creatively, reflecting their preference for qualitative, flexible recording practices. This suggests inherent limits to complete standardization, echoing historical debates within archaeology about balancing structured data with rich, reflexive narratives. Ultimately, digital tools like iDAI.field highlight the ongoing challenge of developing systems that enable interoperability and comparability while preserving the contextual depth essential to archaeological interpretation.
Academic chapter
2026
Deploying Mobile Digital Tools in Archaeological Field Documentation
Periklis Chrysafakoglou
Kyriakos Sgouropoulos
Apostolos Sarris
Dushka Urem-Kotsou
The adoption of digital technologies in archaeology has already surpassed the experimental stages of their application, with the use of digital tools forming an integral part of modern archaeological research. The rapid developments of technological progress and increasingly user-friendly utilization of modern methods have permeated almost every process of archaeological research. These developments in archaeology have sparked the interest and engagement of researchers from fields of technological sciences. Τhe development of the capabilities of mobile devices and network technologies in recent years has significantly assisted the use of digital applications and tools in archaeological data collection processes in the field. Thanks to the utilization of many different methods, the combined collection of archaeological data of different types became possible. Characteristic was the increase and improvement of the collection of descriptive data, as well as the accurate collection of spatial data. Main areas of application of modern digital methods concerned geospatial analysis and the remote sensing technologies, such as GNSS, GIS and geophysical techniques, unmanned aerial vehicles, visualization, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and digital documentation. The methods and applications of digital archaeological documentation have evolved greatly, reflecting the variety of different needs of individual archaeological projects. This has given each scientific team the opportunity to choose the appropriate combination of methods, digital applications, and tools depending on the needs of the research. Finally, the emergence of AI technologies in archaeology has given new momentum to data processing and analysis.
Academic chapter
2026
Digital Archaeological Recording Systems: Innovations in Methodology from the Gourimadi Prehistoric Site in Southern Euboea
Denitsa Nenova
Paschalis Zafeiriadis
Zarko Tankosic
This paper examines the implementation of innovative digital recording methodologies at the prehistoric site of Gourimadi in southern Euboea, Greece. Over six years of excavation, the project has developed an integrated digital infrastructure that addresses the complex challenges of recording stratigraphic relationships and architectural remains at a multi-period settlement site. The methodology combines spatial recording technologies, relational database architecture, and photogrammetric approaches within a coherent theoretical framework. The paper assesses both the technological implementation of the digital workflow employed and its epistemological implications for archaeological practice. The digital recording system employs a semi-hierarchical structure of spatial units, using single-context recording methods adapted to allow sub-contextual division when necessary. Field data collection utilizes mobile technology through iPad-based database entry, while spatial recording combines total station measurements with photogrammetric techniques. The integration of these diverse data sources through relational database structures and GIS permits sophisticated spatial analysis while maintaining contextual associations. In this paper, we situate these methodological innovations within broader theoretical discussions of archaeological computing, spatial analysis, and knowledge production in the digital era. We argue that effective digital recording systems must balance technological efficiency with sound archaeological principles, maintaining contextual relationships while enhancing data integration and accessibility. This study demonstrates how contemporary archaeological methodology can leverage digital tools to address traditional challenges of archaeological recording while creating new possibilities for interpretation and analysis.
Academic chapter
2026
Fantasies and Fallacies of Going Digital at Palloures
Victor Klinkenberg
When excavations began at the Chalcolithic site of Palloures in 2015, a fully digital documentation system was implemented with the expectation that it would enhance efficiency and produce more accurate and detailed data compared to traditional analog methods. Nearly a decade later, this paper evaluates whether these expectations were met. While digital recording has indeed improved the accuracy and level of detail in archaeological documentation, the large volume of data generated has posed challenges for accessibility and ease of use. Our experience suggests that the most critical factor in data quality is not just the technology itself but the comfort and efficiency with which fieldworkers can enter and process information. By designing a documentation system that prioritizes usability—ensuring that digital tools facilitate rather than hinder fieldwork— archaeologists can engage with digital recording in a manner comparable to traditional methods, mitigating concerns about a loss of embodied experience. While the system has largely delivered on its initial promises, our experience underscores the substantial investments required, both financially and in terms of labor, as a significant portion of the team is dedicated to managing digital tasks during excavation.
Academic chapter
2026
Trends in a Technical Tradition. A Reflexive Evaluation of the Impact of Digital Technology on Field Visualization Practice in Satricum (Italy)
Loes Opgenhaffen
This paper explores the interplay between digital innovations and traditional practices in archaeological field recording. It examines how technologies either sustain or challenge established technical traditions. The extent to which digital technologies have influenced existing practices is analyzed through the reflexive recording of field illustration at the excavations of ancient Satricum, applying a revised version of the “Tradition in Transition” methodology (TiTM). This methodology serves as a framework for recording and assessing the underlying mechanisms, methods, technologies, and physical and intellectual processes that have shaped and continue to shape archaeological (visualization) practice. TiTM integrates practice theory with reflexivity and draws on technological and visualization methodologies. It was originally designed to assess the impact of new technologies on existing technical visualization traditions but has proven to be a useful tool for documenting production processes, including embodied practice and intangible aspects that occur in the mind; these can be understood as “paradata”. The present study identifies key trends shaping archaeological visualization, emphasizing the balance between innovation and continuity. Due to the inherently creative nature of archaeological visualization and its long history of adopting new tools, the tradition appears to be in a state of transformation—integrating new technologies while continuing to produce familiar-looking results.
Academic chapter
2026
From Tools to Transformation: Tracking Change, Imaginaries and Canonization Processes in Digital Archaeological Fieldwork
Markos Katsianis
Paschalis Zafeiriadis
This contribution offers a critical review of digital fieldwork, examining the pace of change, the aspirations, the achievements, the challenges, and the enduring constants in the adoption of digital technologies in archaeological fieldwork. While digital methodologies have significantly enhanced fieldwork recording and data management, they often emphasize technical transformation at the expense of addressing the underlying workflow tensions and complexities introduced by these very processes. By tracing the historical trajectory of digital archaeology, from its early computational applications to contemporary developments, we explore how the integration of digital technologies has reshaped fieldwork methods, data structures, team roles, and the widespread adoption of digital tools. Our analysis attempts to situate these changes within a broader discussion that considers the influence of “digital imaginaries” and the processes of “disciplinary canonization.” As digital methodologies continue to gain legitimacy within archaeological practice, it is vital to reflect their impact critically to ensure that technological advancements align with ethical standards and epistemological perspectives. By doing so, we can perhaps mitigate the unchecked prioritization of technology over the interpretive, social, and ethical foundations of archaeological research.
Introduction in anthology
2026
Digital (Un)Doings: A Foreword to Digital Impacts on Archaeological Fieldwork
Paschalis Zafeiriadis
Markos Katsianis
Søren Handberg