Contact Information:
Andrew Sullivan
Geo 465, Oregon State University
sulliand@onid.orst.edu

This edited volume contains a variety of articles and essays pertinent to the study of GIS applications within archaeology. Both theoretical and methodological aspects of using GIS within an archaeological frame are discussed at length, as well as data sources, hardware and software, and practical applications of GIS technology. While this collection is a bit dated at this time, according to Mark Gillings and David Mattingly in Geographical Information Systems and Landscape Archaeology (listed later in this annotated bibliography), it is widely accepted that “the first major impact of GIS upon the wider archaeological consciousness came with” this publication. Therefore, it should be viewed as an important resource when looking at the relationships between GIS and archaeology.

Another edited volume, this collection includes essays about the impact of GIS on landscape archaeology – that is to say, how GISci and GISystems can be used to examine landscapes so that information about past cultures can be discerned. The essays presented are divided into sections that cover topics such as GIS and archaeological theories and methods, GIS and field survey data, as well as a section devoted to developing GIS techniques and approaches to archaeological problems. Several of the essays presented are case studies which show how such topics can be applied in real life situations.

This article provides a case study about the Nasca geoglyphs – large geographic formations built by the Nasca culture of Peru from around 200 BC to 600 AD. The article outlines how the researchers used photogrammetry to first map the area, and then discusses how the data collected was used to create 3D models. Finally, it outlines a GIS that is being developed in for the spatial analysis of the glyphs “within their natural as well as cultural habitat”. The authors stress that this combination of photogrametric 3D recording, visualization, and GIS-based analysis present novel and new ways of data recording and analysis within archaeology, and that with continued use, technologies like GIS are likely to play important roles within archaeology in the future.

This collection contains various European examples of the use of GIS in an archaeological frame. Several of the presented essays deal with case studies from Europe involving the use of GIS, as well as future trends in European uses of GIS. Just as North American archaeological and anthropological theories, methods, and ideas differ from those of the European mindset, so does the use and application of GIS between the two. If anything, this collection can provide a contrasting view of GIS uses, and perhaps work to show how the two can be use together.

This article presents a case study on the use of GIS as a tool to explore non-traditional landscapes such as caves – specifically in this case study, Actun Tunichil Muknal, a “Classic Maya ceremonial cave in western Belize”. The article outlines how GIS was used as a tool for data display, visualization, exploration, as well as evaluate distances and analyze data. Perhaps most important of all, this use of GIS wielded results “that would have been difficult to achieve by standard methods of map preparation and examination”.

Although anthropological research has been previously conducted on this site, and it was determined that the caves were used as ritual spaces by the Mayans, GIS was chosen as a data collection and analysis tool because the researchers thought a detailed examination of distributional patterns would provide a better picture of Mayan ritual structure. Because the primary goal of the project was to measure distances between artifacts, a vector GIS model was developed, representing features as points, lines, and polygons.

GIS analysis of the vector data reviled a more precise image of the artifacts within the Mayan cave, as well as helped to highlight “the importance of visualization when assessing artifact assemblages”. The authors conclude that using a GISystem, while a 2D system used to evaluate a 3D reality, is still the most powerfull tool available for analysis and display of archaeological data. They also note that it is the only system available “capable of creating geo-referenced data and conducting quantitative analyses”. Overall, this case-study illustrates the strength of GIS as a tool for visualization, as well as for data generation and exploration.

This edited collection, as the title suggests, contains several essays on archaeology in the computing age of today. While this book does not focus on GISci or GISystems, and rather on the “information age” as a whole, it does have some articles that address the use of GIS and archaeology. For instance, an article by Gary Lock and Trevor Harris addresses the importance of Geographic Information Systems and their role in visualizing spatial data. Overall, this collection is a good (although dated) resource for information on semi-current technology involving archaeology.

While this edited volume is fairly old and does not discuss GIS applications within anthropology per se, it is included within this annotated bibliography because it does provide an interesting look at how computer graphics and cartographic principles have been used in the past to communicate archaeological data and ideas. As such, it provides an opportunity to see how far computer spatial technologies have come in the discipline of archaeology. In essence, the articles within this compilation describe the use of simple GISystems – a dataset expressed digitally in order to convey information. As such, this volume is significant because it shows the beginnings of contemporary computing within archaeology.

The editors of this collection warn that as a printed volume, their compilation can only serve as a snapshot of the research and topics that are currently in the spotlight in the archaeological discipline. However, as a way of looking at some current uses of GIS in archaeology, this book is very insightful

This book declares that it provides a “single-source starting point for archaeologists interested in GIS”. The volume does indeed live up to that claim, as it covers almost anything a reader would like to know about the basics of GIS when applied to archaeology. It starts by introducing the reader to the spatial database, the acquisition and storage of this spatial data, as well as how to use this data in analysis. Topics such as predictive modeling and statistical management are also covered. Perhaps the most interesting section of this book is the last chapter, which covers possible future developments in archaeology concerned with GIS and spatial analysis. Overall, Wheatley and Gillings’ book proves to be an excellent reference for almost any basic topic concerning GIS and archaeology.