Sarah J. SCOTT
(Wagner College, Staten Island, USA)
Purpose: This paper will present an analysis and working model of how a pre-existing database used to document objects from the excavations at Nimrud of the Assyrian Northwest and Central Palaces has been adapted for use in documenting Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh.
Methodology/Approach/Results: The documenting and archiving of historic excavations is a premier agenda of emerging digital technologies. By collecting the known data from excavations we can make the information available to scholars, students, and the public. The time and effort expended on creating such databases is immense. By using a pre-existing database program, time and effort can be saved. At this conference a work-in-progress will be presented. During the summer of 2008 data related to Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh, in the form of photographs, drawings, archeological data, and object analysis will be collected at the British Museum. This data will be entered in a pre-existing database for future research. It is expected a list of problems will arise, regarding the breadth of object type to be documented. This list will be assessed and presented at the conference, along with a series of possible solutions. The goal is to begin discussion regarding streamlining the process data-entry, and expediting the way we think about data-collection, analysis, and digital archiving with respect to historical archaeological excavations.
Keywords: Assyria, data, Nineveh, archive, palace.