Using Computational Methods to Understand the Past in The Present - Juniper Publishers

Using Computational Methods to Understand the Past in the Present 

Authored by Juan A Barcelo

Cultural heritage is a wide concept; an expression of the ways of living developed by community and passed on from generation to generation (ICOMOS 2002). In this paper I examine the idea that “archaeological heritage” is the information we can extract from material evidence from the past with use of scientific analysis. As prehistoric stones and ancient potsherds do not speak for themselves, the transformation of archaeological material into scientific data and into explanatory knowledge is the most challenging aspect of modern archaeological methodology. New techniques based on artificial intelligence, virtual reality and reverse engineering are needed to approach cultural heritage in a explicitly functional way. The challenge is to demonstrate how we may put our knowledge of the past to beneficial use in helping people to understand where the present came from and shaping their way into some future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Art and Science: Combustion via Art- Juniper Publishers

Image
Archaeology & Anthropology -  Juniper Publishers Introduction Combustion, burning or fire is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of the chemical species to new ones. Combustion supplies most of the energy required by human civilisation where the visible result is fire and flames usually consisting of hot gases and light. The phenomenon of fire is mentioned already in the Bible in Genesis 15:17 as follows:”When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passes between the pieces.” Probably the earliest reasonably scientific attempt to explain combustion was that of Johannes Baptista van Helmont [1], a Flemish physician and alchemist. He observed the relationship among a burning material, smoke and flame and said that combustion involved the escape of a “wild spirit” from the burning material. In 1667 Johann Joachim Becher
Read more

Juniper Publishers-Manyoka: Is It Vital or Fatal to Human Life?

Image
Archaeology & Anthropology -  Juniper Publishers Introduction The arrival of modern medical sciences and new inventions in the field of health has immensely benefitted human beings all over the world. But despite these successes in the field of sciences, there are communities in parts of the world who are reluctant to maintain their well-being through modern medicine. Their approach towards health is not just a matter of concern in the continuum of health and illness; rather it is entangled with their whole system of ethos and ideals. This paper explores the approach of the Manica community in central Mozambique towards the health issues of diarrhoea. Following, this paper discusses: a. The burden of diarrhoea in Mozambique and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) initiatives to eradicate this problem. b. ‘Beliefs’ as an eccentric component to modern medicine and an integral component in world-view of a community; and c. The pollution theory amongst Manicans. All th
Read more

Discovery of an Escape Tunnel in Sobibor-Juniper Publishers

Image
Archaeology & Anthropology -  Juniper Publishers Introduction The archaeological excavations in the former Nazi-extermination camp of Sobibor in eastern Poland are made possible by a collaboration of four countries: Israel, Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia. Main goal of this joint project is the realization of a visitor centre and monument on the site. The still ongoing excavations, upscaled since 2011, are carried out in order to make construction works possible, and to reveal sensible traces, gain knowledge about the inner structure of the camp and to secure personal items. The excavations were carried out under supervision of Wojciech Mazurek MA (Sub Terra Archaeological Research, Chełm, Poland), Yoram Haimi (representative of Yad Vashem, Israel) and Ivar Schute (representative of the Dutch Ministry of Welfare, since 2013). Inner Structure of the Camp The former Nazi-extermination camp of Sobibor, in which ar
Read more