Session Abstracts

Alyson A. Gill and Arne R. Flaten
Visualizing Ancient Spaces: Virtual Reconstructions of Archaeological Sites

Over the past decade various digital technologies ranging from three-dimensional reconstructions or models, laser scanning, GIS databases and digital mapping have been used to contribute to our understanding of various aspects of ancient sites. In some cases these tools have led to the creation of three-dimensional virtual models of buildings or of entire sites, while in others they have been used to address specific archaeological problems.
Digital technologies can be an exceptionally powerful tool when used in reconstructions, and there is information that can be gained from them that is not available through traditional archaeological means. Virtual reconstructions allow scholars to consider theoretical issues including sight lines, the ways in which space would have functioned in antiquity, and how buildings would have interacted with each other. Three-dimensional digital models also allow us to engage a diverse set of experimental architectural problems, including lighting and ventilation reconstructions and engineering issues.
The organizers of this session are interested in the diverse perspectives offered by data providers, producers, and end users of three-dimensional models with respect to problems and possibilities presented by digital technologies as research tools in archaeology. This session is intended to foster discussion between these groups. Papers should focus on the ways in which digital technologies might be used as research tools, or the presentation of a specific project that models a specific digital research tool or set of tools in the study of an archaeological problem or site.

Coordination:
Dr. Alyson Gill, Arkansas State University, State University, Arkansas, USA
Dr. Arne Flaten, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, South Carolina, USA

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