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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Cotsen Institute of Archaeology

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Cotsen Digital Archaeology series

The Cotsen Digital Archaeology (CDA) series presents the results of original archaeological and conservation research through digitally initiated and accessible publications that integrate innovative multimedia and data links. The Cotsen Digital Archaeology series thus comprises hybrid publications that have extra online components in the form of audio and video files, data files, data base structures and apps. These materials can be found with each book under the left side tab "supporting materials." Cotsen Digital Archaeology books are published after the same rigorous peer review process as all other Cotsen Press publications, including data review. The printed volumes are also listed on our website and can be purchased through our distributor, ISD. The purpose of the Digital Archaeology Series is to expand the availability of data and make full use of the new possibilities offered by online interactive publication. The development of this series is a gradual process of experimentation that will take place over the next five years.

Print On Demand copies of CIOA Press books are available at:
http://escholarship-cioa.lulu.com/spotlight/

Cover page of Critical Archaeology in the Digital Age: Proceedings of the 12th IEMA Visiting Scholar’s Conference

Critical Archaeology in the Digital Age: Proceedings of the 12th IEMA Visiting Scholar’s Conference

(2022)

Every part of archaeological practice is intimately tied to digital technologies, but how deeply do we really understand the ways these technologies impact the theoretical trends in archaeology, how these trends affect the adoption of these technologies, or how the use of technology alters our interactions with the human past? This volume suggests a critical approach to archaeology in a digital world, a purposeful and systematic application of digital tools in archaeology. This is a call to pay attention to your digital tools, to be explicit about how you are using them, and to understand how they work and impact your own practice. The chapters in this volume demonstrate how this critical, reflexive approach to archaeology in the digital age can be accomplished, touching on topics that include 3D data, predictive and procedural modelling, digital publishing, digital archiving, public and community engagement, ethics, and global sustainability. The scale and scope of this research demonstrates how necessary it is for all archaeological practitioners to approach this digital age with a critical perspective and to be purposeful in our use of digital technologies.

Cover page of Archaeology 2.0: New Approaches to Communication and Collaboration

Archaeology 2.0: New Approaches to Communication and Collaboration

(2011)

How is the Web transforming the professional practice of archaeology? And as archaeologists accustomed to dealing with “deep time,” how can we best understand the possibilities and limitations of the Web in meeting the specialized needs of professionals in this field? These are among the many questions posed and addressed in Archaeology 2.0: New Approaches to Communication and Collaboration, edited by Eric Kansa, Sarah Whitcher Kansa, and Ethan Watrall. With contributions from a range of experts in archaeology and technology, this volume is organized around four key topics that illuminate how the revolution in communications technology reverberates across the discipline: approaches to information retrieval and information access; practical and theoretical concerns inherent in design choices for archaeology’s computing infrastructure; collaboration through the development of new technologies that connect field-based researchers and specialists within an international archaeological community; and scholarly communications issues, with an emphasis on concerns over sustainability and preservation imperatives. This book not only describes practices that attempt to mitigate some of the problems associated with the Web, such as information overload and disinformation, it also presents compelling case studies of actual digital projects—many of which are rich in structured data and multimedia content or focused on generating content from the field “in real time,” and all of which demonstrate how the Web can and is being used to transform archaeological communications into forms that are more open, inclusive, and participatory. Above all, this volume aims to share these experiences to provide useful guidance for other researchers interested in applying technology to archaeology.

  • 1 supplemental PDF
Cover page of The World According to Basketry

The World According to Basketry

(1999)

This book was originally published in 1999 by the Leiden University, Center of Non-Western Studies. This is an unabridged re-publication of the 1999 edition, and the one-hour movie that is an integral part of the book. You can download the movie as mp4 file under the tab “Supporting Material”. At a future date the full integration of text and video (as specified in Appendix C of the book) will be offered through this stable URL as well.

  • 1 supplemental video
Cover page of Who is afraid of basketry

Who is afraid of basketry

(1991)

A guide to recording basketry and cordage for archaeologists and ethnographers

  • 1 supplemental file