Vernelle A. A. NOEL (The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA) Keywords: Digital heritage, Trinidad Carnival, computer interaction, preservation, development Abstract: French planters introduced carnival to Trinidad in the 1780s. In 1834, newly emancipated slaves reinvented the celebration to create what is known today as the Trinidad Carnival. Through this carnival people express their freedom, their creativity, and their aesthetic sensibilities. One of the main elements of this carnival is the creation of “meticulously detailed construction and brilliant costuming.” The first methodical studies of the Trinidad Carnival took place in the 1950s, where scholars attempted to document existing and extinct figures in the carnival through text, photos, and drawings, to “serve as a basis for future documentation.” In 1985, another scholar called for the preservation and development of traditional figures through literature; photos; dolls; and museums. Despite this carnival’s rich design history, its spawning of more than 70 carnivals around the globe, and it being one of the “most copied major carnivals in the world,” there is currently no established system for preserving or exhibiting the history and development of design in this culturally-significant practice. Additionally, there is a current lack of comprehensive understanding of the activities, knowledge, and processes in design in the carnival. This project seeks to answer the question: How can we use new technologies in the preservation of cultural heritage, and comprehensive understanding of activities, knowledge, and processes in design in carnival? I present three pilot studies which illustrate three novel approaches – Interactive Data Visualization; Computer Interaction using the Kinect; and Virtual Reality using a camera and Unity 3D – to aid in the preservation, development, and comprehensive understanding of design in Trinidad Carnival, using new technologies. Relevance conference | Relevance session: Three novel approaches to aid in the preservation, development, and comprehensive understanding of design in the cultural practice of Trinidad Carnival, using new technologies. Innovation: The development of three novel approaches to preservation, and development of design in the non-western cultural practice of Trinidad Carnival, using new technologies. References: CROWLEY, Daniel J. (1956): “The Traditional Masques of Carnival.” Caribbean Quarterly 4 (3/4): 194–223. HILL, Errol (1985): “Traditional Figures In Carnival: Their Preservation,...

Susanna CEREDA (University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria) Keywords: geoarchaeology; spatial analysis; ritual behaviours; prehistory Abstract: Temples, shrines and other ceremonial spaces have always been fascinating research contexts in archaeology, because of their high symbolic and cultural values. Though, while architectural structures and liturgical furniture are more easily recognisable and are therefore better studied, the understanding of what was happening inside these spaces, the ritual practice, is more evanescent, and this is especially true when there are no written sources that come in our help. In this paper the author will discuss the approach adopted in her PhD project for the study of ritual behaviours, which is based on the analysis of sediments through the implementation of scientific methods adopted from the field of geoarchaeology. Rituals, in fact, are first of all human actions and as such they leave more or less visible traces. According to this deposit- oriented approach, ritual events will be identified and reconstructed from the material traces they left within mud-floors and, possibly, walls. The case study for this research is the so-called “Temple D”, unearthed in the pre- and protohistoric site of Arslantepe (Malatya, Turkey) and dated to the 3750-3300 BCE. The goal of this study is to show how such a methodological approach can help to overcome inherent visibility problems of ritual events, in order to gain a better understanding on the way a ceremonial space was used (nature of actions, cyclicity, spatial variations, etc.), and to ultimately reconstruct behavioural...

Francesca DOLCETTI (University of York, York, United Kingdom) Keywords: digital visualisation-3D modelling-cypriot archaeology Abstract: The research project I present aims to assess and monitor the impact of 3D modelling upon research, academic dissemination and public engagement. A triangulation approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative analyses, will be applied in order to compare data coming from different methods and obtain a better understanding of the subject (Economou and Pujol Tost 2011). Using the case study of the Middle Bronze Age settlement at Erimi- Laonin tou Porakou (Limassol, Cyprus), the research will consider each stage of the visualisation process, from the creation of interactive three-dimensional models, to their presentation to varying audiences in a range of settings, to the evaluation of their effectiveness and the subsequent improvement using users’ feedback. The methodology proposed for this project is defined by different stages along the following workflow: Data acquisition and recording: gather all the available data through a multidisciplinary approach, including material evidence and micromorphological analyses. Record all the information related to metadata and paradata in a comprehensive metadata schema; 3D modelling: create an interactive 3D model that shows the site at its actual state and the interpretive visualisation of the settlement; Evaluation: present the 3D visualisation to different user groups, composed by specialists and non-specialists, and use both qualitative and quantitative approaches (interviews and questionnaires) to collect their feedback; Implementation: use the audience feedback in order to define guidelines to improve the 3D model comprehensibility. Through this methodological approach, I aim to assess how people perceive digital visualisations and to what extent 3D models can broaden the understanding of an archaeological site to groups of both specialists and non-specialists unfamiliar with the specific case study’s...

Ulrike GRIMM (University of Leipzig, Institute of Geography, Leipzig, Germany) Keywords: DEM, GIS, Geoarcheology, Leipzig, Palaeorelief Abstract: 2015 marked the millennium of the first documentary evidence of the city of Leipzig as “urbs Libzi”. Inspired by this event a digital elevation model from the palaeorelief (palaeo-DEM) of the first settlers will be modelled in 2/3 Dimensions by applying a geographic information system (GIS). The topic of the ongoing PhD-project combines various geographical disciplines such as geomorphology and statistics. Qualitative data, mainly from archaeological excavations and geological drills, are linked by using GIS through surveying techniques. By applying the same method as for the palaeo-DEM a recent-DEM is created. Furthermore, a comparison is conducted between this recent-DEM and another recent DEM, which was generated with LiDAR data from the »State Operation Geobasisinformation and Surveying Saxony«. A correlation analysis and the descriptive comparison validate a close connection between the two recent DEMs. This supports the proposed methodology as being well suited to generate a visualization of the palaeorelief. However, models represent only a limited picture of reality. Undoubtedly, strong anthropogenic influences in the entire study area represent limiting factors which are hard to quantify. Therefore, the palaeo-DEM shows the minimum extent of the palaeorelief for the founding of the city of Leipzig. Nevertheless, the ongoing PhD-project supports further research on the landscape and settlement genesis at the study area. The palaeo-DEM allows the exploration of the palaeorelief and specific natural conditions during the Holocene. Furthermore, it´s possible to draw inferences about how the environment has been shaped and structured by humans in this area over the last 1000 years. The research has the character of a case study that subsequently will open up opportunities to other regions. Relevance conference: My interdisciplinary multiproxy-solution to model the ancient surface for landscape reconstruction in Leipzig’s centre with GIS-Technology, fits perfectly into the conference’s overarching topic. (“Cultural Heritage and New Technologies”) Relevance session: The presentation of my ongoing PhD-project shares innovative multiproxy ideas to reconstruct the palaeosurface for a city centre with GIS-Technology. Innovation: Strong anthropogenic influences in the study area result in limiting factors which are hard to quantify. Nevertheless, it is possible to...

Roland FILZWIESER (University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria) Keywords: historical archaeology, ALS, historical maps, database Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the use of airborne laser scanning (ALS) and geophysical prospection within archaeological research. Likewise, the use of geographical information systems (GIS) for the documentation and mapping of archaeological remains has become commonplace. In the field of digital humanities and historical research, the development of tools for automated text recognition and the collection of large, open-source historical databases, are contributing to the advancement of the methodology. The here presented work deals with the study of the historical landscape of the Leithagebirge southeast of Vienna, based on written sources in combination with archaeological prospection data. The guiding questions are directed to illuminate how these latest methodological and technical advancements can be jointly exploited in order to benefit the disciplines of archaeological and historical research. For this purpose, an Urbarium of the Herrschaft Scharfeneck in Lower Austria dating to the 16th Century was transcribed and recorded in a historical database. In a second step, the database was combined with an interpretation of the ALS data of the area, which had been obtained in the framework of an FWF project run by the Institute of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology of the University of Vienna, as well as several historical maps. The integrated spatial analysis of these combined sources aims to address specific questions concerning the perception of castle Scharfeneck within the surrounding historical landscape, the investigation of the network of hollow ways in the region, the development of agricultural land use, as well as historical borders and desertification processes during the late medieval period. In addition, a best practice model for the combination of written sources and archaeological prospection data is being developed. Relevance conference | Relevance session: The paper addresses problems regarding the integration of historical research and new technologies that are relevant to a number of topics covered in the conference. Innovation: The paper aims to further promote the linkage between historical and archaeological research by taking into account latest methodological as well as technological developments. References: DONEUS, M. et al. (2008): ‘Flugzeuggetragenes Laserscanning als Werkzeug...