Spatial Data Management Aspects in Archaeological Excavation Documentation1

Archaeological excavation documentation poses several challenges to spatial data management. This work gives a data model, respective query functionality and the description of the resulting prototype system for recording and analyzing the data produced during the course of an excavation. Based on a requirements analysis, we develop a data model that not only captures geo-referenced finds (pottery sherds, bones, etc.) and their properties, but also excavation diaries and the particularities of the excavation space. Towards an effort of analyzing the collected data and constructing a virtual excavation space, we describe spatial query capabilities providing access to the data in two and three-dimensional space. The system also captures uncertainty with respect to position, which is quite common due to either missing information and/or approximate measurements. Finally, we will give a complete overview of “Arxaiorama”, the system prototype that was developed during the course of a research project and that is currently being used at the excavation site of Dispilio in Kastoria, Greece.