This project examines the role of nomadic pastoralists in the role of state formation in the Middle East, and specifically in the ancient polity of Moab in Central Jordan. Ethnographic studies are the primary sources for understanding the power relationship between nomadic and settled populations, and these studies provide the framework for understanding social inequality in Moab during the Iron Age

Data recording is one of the primary requirements of any archaeological project. Some projects rely on the traditional pen-and-paper methods, while others have begun to employ field data recording applications through mobile computing platforms. The former method relies on later transcription of the data, while the later passes over this step, integrating the data from various devices at some later point. Many rely on commercial solutions to solve their data recording needs. Well-known platforms, which have had a long and successful track record with databases, are now being employed for archaeological databases. Although these robust platforms provide straightforward solutions, they are expensive and not easily extensible. OpenDig was developed with a focus on open source frameworks, with the idea that future expansion would be important for any archaeological database. By utilizing open source tools that were born in the World Wide Web, OpenDig provides a complete framework for archaeological data from the field and post-excavation studies. The three main tools that make up the OpenDig framework are: 1) a field recording application for describing archaeological contexts, associated photos, geospatial data, and find; 2) a lightweight data reader and editor for deployment in field laboratories; 3) a full web application for a more complete tool set for reviewing, analysing and disseminating these data acquired from the field. Three tools, on their own, may not seem very different from other solutions available to archaeologists today. However, OpenDig demonstrates the viability of using open source tools and open source data to create a complete system for data recording, analysis and dissemination. The future of archaeological data lays in finding ways to link disparate data sets from various projects and being able to make sensible comparisons. This can only be achieved by providing open access to these data and creating common interfaces that allow archaeologists to link their data with others.

The image of the archaeologist is changing; there is little we can do about that. The dusty boots, timeworn trowel, and coffee-stained notebooks may themselves become the images that we see in museums in a not too distant future. One only has to open up any archaeology publication today to find stunning images of drones, tablets, GPSs, laser scanners and a myriad of many other devices that were hardly thought of a decade or two ago (For example, see: Levy 2013; Levy, et al. 2010). The rapid evolution of technology has meant that there are new approaches to field archaeology that can enhance our work, help to preserve the past from our rather destructive discipline, and also help to disseminate our research to the public. Among all these tools, perhaps in the shadow of drones and laser scanners, is the archaeologist's notebook. That notebook, containing the primary observations for excavations is fundamental to understanding work conducted in any trench at any site; and like many of the other facets of archaeology, is also going through a process of change from analog to digital. In this article, we will look at one such tool, OpenDig, developed in the midst of many of these changes occurring all around us. OpenDig should be understood in the context of the circumstances out of which it grew, the problems which it was created to solve, and as a result can be of use to other archaeologists today.

Cyber-archaeology represents the marriage of archaeology, computer science, engineering, and the natural sciences with the aim of taking advantage of constantly evolving technologies for digital data capture, curation, analyses and dissemination. Digital data collection tools are perhaps the most rapidly changing arenas of development in cyber-archaeology and are becoming affordable tools for every archaeologist. In this paper, we examine two users’ approaches to produce point cloud models of archaeological sites using structure from motion (SfM) photography. The experiment took place at the Fountain of Peirene in ancient Corinth, Greece. Their implementation of the technology and their results are compared to highlight the very important role the photo-shooting session can play in the final outcome of the SfM reconstruction. We correlate the users’ approaches to the applied algorithms’ robust features and known limitations to provide a technical explanation of how archaeologists can significantly improve their success in SfM. As new algorithms and software emerge making SfM a common tool in archaeological documentation the methodology presented in this paper will enable archaeologists to meet the high demand for digital documentation on a global scale.