The object of the science of archaeology is the study of human lives in the past. How we go about achieving this goal is reliant on the tools we have at our disposal as researchers. When Heinrich Schliemann (Not really an archaeologist so much as an antiquities hunter with a big budget, but I digress) excavated at Troy we were talking about literal tools. His were tools which archaeologists use to this day: shovels, trowels, brushes and a whole lot of sweat.
These are not the only tools available to archaeological researchers in 2014. Some of these tools, like the trowel, have not changed much since the dawn of archaeology. The Theodolite (a surveying instrument used for the drawing of accurate maps) has been completely replaced. An archaeologist today would use a totally electronic, laser based surveying instrument known as a Total Station. And some, like the computer, have no real analog in the past, and have allowed for analysis of archaeological sites never dreamed possible prior to their development. Understanding these tools, how they can help us generate and answer questions about the past, as well as how they might limit our studies, is a core component of my interest in archaeology.
CURVE at GSU is an ideal environment to test and develop the tools archaeologists will be using in the next 5 and 10 years. Over the course of the semester I’ll be blogging about my adventures in technology, archaeology and bringing cutting edge, innovative tools to academic research, not just in archaeology, but in many fields of study here at Georgia State University.
