Mobilizing the Past: The Blurb for the Book

I’m pretty excited that Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future is almost ready and will appear next month from The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota. We’re sorting through some last minute edits, getting the online component finalized, and starting to spread the word.

As part of that, do check out the book blurb and the table of contents below the cover. 

Mobilizing the Past is a collection of 20 articles that explore the use and impact of mobile digital technology in archaeological field practice. The detailed case studies present in this volume range from drones in the Andes to iPads at Pompeii, digital workflows in the American Southwest, and examples of how bespoke, DIY, and commercial software provide solutions and craft novel challenges for field archaeologist. The range of projects and contexts ensures that Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future is far more than a state-of-the-field manual or technical handbook. Instead, the contributors embrace the growing spirit of critique present in digital archaeology. This critical edge, backed by real projects, systems, and experiences, gives the book lasting value as both a glimpse into present practices as well as the anxieties and enthusiasm associated with the most recent generation of mobile digital tools.

This book emerged from a workshop funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities and convened in 2015 at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. The conference brought together over 20 leading practitioners of digital archaeology in the U.S. for a weekend of conversation. The papers in this volume reflect the discussions at this workshop with significant additional content. Starting with an expansive introduction and concluding with a series of reflective papers, this volume illustrates how tablets, connectivity, sophisticated software, and powerful computers have transformed field practices and offer potential for a radically transformed discipline.

Edited by Erin Walcek Averett, Jody Michael Gordon, and Derek B. Counts With contributions by Rebecca Bria, Bridget Buxton, William Caraher, J. Andrew Dufton, Steven J. R. Ellis, Samuel B. Fee, Eric C. Kansa, Morag M. Kersel, Marcelo Castro López, Christopher F. Motz, Eric E. Poehler, Brandon R. Olson, Adam Rabinowitz, Matthew Sayre, Adela Sobotkova, Matthew Spigelman, John Wallrodt, and Steven Wernke

Table of Contents

Introduction. Mobile Computing in Archaeology: Exploring and Interpreting Current Practices Jody Michael Gordon, Erin Walcek Averett, and Derek B. Counts

1.1. Why Paperless: Technology and Changes in Archaeological Practice, 1996–2016 John Wallrodt

1.2. Are We Ready for New (Digital) Ways to Record Archaeological Fieldwork? A Case Study from Pompeii Steven J. R. Ellis

1.3. Sangro Valley and the Five (Paperless) Seasons: Lessons on Building Effective Digital Recording Workflows for Archaeological Fieldwork Christopher F. Motz

1.4. DIY Digital Workflows on the Athienou Archaeological Project, Cyprus Jody Michael Gordon, Erin Walcek Averett, Derek B. Counts, Kyosung Koo, and Michael K. Toumazou

1.5. Enhancing Archaeological Data Collection and Student Learning with a Mobile Relational Database Rebecca Bria and Kathryn E. DeTore

1.6. Digital Archaeology in the Rural Andes: Problems and Prospects Matthew Sayre

1.7. Digital Pompeii: Dissolving the Fieldwork-Library Research Divide Eric E. Poehler

2.1. Reflections on Custom Mobile App Development for Archaeological Data Collection Samuel B. Fee

2.2. The Things We Can Do with Pictures: Image-Based Modeling and Archaeology Brandon R. Olson

2.3 Beyond the Basemap: Multiscalar Survey through Aerial Photogrammetry in the Andes Steven A. Wernke, Gabriela Oré, Carla Hernández, Aurelio Rodríguez, Abel Traslaviña, and Giancarlo Marcone

2.4. An ASV (Autonomous Surface Vehicle) for Archaeology: The Pladypos at Caesarea Maritima, Israel Bridget Buxton, Jacob Sharvit, Dror Planer, Nikola Mišković, and John Hale

3.1. Cástulo in the 21st Century: A Test Site for a New Digital Information System Marcelo Castro López, Francisco Arias de Haro, Libertad Serrano Lara, Ana L. Martínez Carrillo, Manuel Serrano Araque, and Justin Walsh

3.2. Measure Twice, Cut Once: Cooperative Deployment of a Generalized, Archaeology-Specific Field Data Collection System Adela Sobotkova, Shawn A. Ross, Brian Ballsun-Stanton, Andrew Fairbairn, Jessica Thompson, and Parker VanValkenburgh

3.3. CSS for Success? Some Thoughts on Adapting the Browser-Based Archaeological Recording Kit (ARK) for Mobile Recording J. Andrew Dufton

3.4. The Development of the PaleoWay Digital Workflows in the Context of Archaeological Consulting Matthew Spigelman, Ted Roberts, and Shawn Fehrenbach

4.1. Slow Archaeology: Technology, Efficiency, and Archaeological Work William Caraher

4.2. Click Here to Save the Past Eric C. Kansa

5.1. Response: Living a Semi-digital Kinda Life Morag M. Kersel

5.2. Response: Mobilizing (Ourselves) for a Critical Digital Archaeology Adam Rabinowitz