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We are organising a session on the #CAA2025 in #Athens. The event will cover topics related to computer-aided archeology and will take place in Athens, Greece.Call for papers for CAA 2025 in Athens

The call for abstracts for the CAA 2025 conference in Athens has begun. CAA members are co-organizing up to six sessions! We cordially invite you to submit abstracts by October 29, 2024:
https://2025.caaconference.org/call-for-papers/
List
S26: Bridging Non-Invasive and Invasive Archaeology. Developing Computational Tools for Integration, Archiving, Visualisation and Analysis of Multifaceted Datasets
S27: Release the Kraken – Mobile GIS empowering survey communities across the globe
S28: Follow Rivers: the application of advanced remote sensing, machine learning and modelling in the studies of water management of past societies
S29: Heritage under bombs – digital methods in the studies of endangered heritage in conflict zones
S37: Computational and Landscape Archaeology in the renovation of surface survey methodologies
S51: Bridging the gap between theory and practice: Teaching digital fieldwork archaeology
Abstracts
S26: Bridging Non-Invasive and Invasive Archaeology. Developing Computational Tools for Integration, Archiving, Visualisation and Analysis of Multifaceted Datasets
Piotr Wroniecki, Montefortino Prospection & Digitalisation
Kamil Niedziółka, University of Gdańsk
Gábor Mesterházy, Hungarian National Museum – National Institute of Archaeology
Piotr Wroniecki
Kamil Niedziółka
Session Format: Standard
This session aims to present ideas, programs, and tools designed to advance the processing and application of non-invasive (geophysics, LiDAR, remote sensing, field-walking etc…) and invasive data in research and rescue archaeology. We focus on their integration into excavation planning, interpretation, and post-processing, with special emphasis on comparative analysis between various datasets. The session encourages contributions that explore:
Integrating diverse datasets into excavation planning, interpretation, and post-processing
Applying machine learning to archaeological data analysis and management
Developing systematic, quantitative methods to evaluate non-invasive techniques in archaeology
Proposing new methodologies for comparing excavation data with non-invasive datasets
Addressing challenges in managing and analyzing large-scale archaeological datasets
Statistical and numerical approaches for dataset comparison and integration
Machine learning applications in data sorting, retrieval, classification, and anomaly detection
Addressing challenges in managing and analyzing large-scale archaeological datasets
Innovative data presentation and visualization techniques
A key focus is to move beyond traditional visual and intuition-based assessments towards more statistical and numerical approaches in evaluating excavation data in relation to non-invasive datasets. We seek papers that propose new methodologies for scientifically comparing and integrating these diverse data types, offering efficient ways to gain insights into how they can enhance the archaeological process. As archaeology grapples with increasingly vast datasets generated by modern prospection and documentation techniques, we also welcome submissions addressing the challenges of data management. This includes exploring tools or solutions for efficient storage, categorization, and retrieval of large collections of digital imagery and other data types. Machine learning approaches to data sorting, retrieval, classification, and anomaly detection are of particular interest. Whether presenting practical completed projects or more theoretical forward-thinking concepts, this session aims to continue the discussion on data integration in archaeology. Our goal is to bridge the gap between non-invasive and invasive archaeological methods that exists often due to lack of concepts or tools that would help bridge this divide.
Up
S27: Release the Kraken – Mobile GIS empowering survey communities across the globe
Julia Chyla, University of Warsaw
Giuseppe Prospero Ciriglliano, Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca
Nazarij Buławka, Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology; University of Warsaw
Adéla Sobotkova, Aarhus Universitet
Julia M. Chyla
Nazarij Buławka
Session Format: Other
Over the past decades, archaeological field surveys have significantly refined and adapted methodologies to suit various global contexts, from the Mediterranean and Near East to the Americas (Alcock and Cherry 2004; Bintliff, Howard, and Snodgrass 1999; Athanassopoulos and Wandsnider 2011; Banning 2002). In addition to the specific characteristics of each context, it is essential to reflect on the tools and techniques employed and how they are integrated into investigative methodologies. We can observe a gradual change from the site-oriented prospection into a more holistic approach, considering extended artifact scatters and the elusive remains of human presence in the landscape (Knodell et al. 2023). A significant focus was mapping the density of archaeological material between sites using systematic sampling or transects (Judge 1981; Binford 1975; Nance 1983).
The integration of platforms, tools, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and artificial intelligence (AI) allows for multi-scale analysis, producing significant results through the possibility to analyze both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of archaeological data. These advancements enable researchers to better understand the relationship between different layers of information, leading to new insights into landscape archaeology and the complexities of past human-environment interactions. A pressing issue in archaeological surveys is the impact of intensive land use over time, which has led to the depletion of visible archaeological records on the surface. On the other hand, forested areas present unique challenges, as these environments—where archaeological remains might be better preserved—still lack optimized survey strategies (Mazzacca et al. 2022). As field conditions evolve, so too must our methodologies, adapting to account for both degraded landscapes and new technologies that open up a wide range of possibilities.
The GNSS technologies and the expansion of portable handheld devices led to the development of what is currently known as Mobile GIS (Tripcevich 2004; Chyla and Buławka 2020; Sobotkova et al. 2015). It can be used for personal or collaborative work such as recording, monitoring, management, field verification, reporting, and didactics, which empowered archaeologists and cultural heritage authorities (Tibesasa 2021; Anbaroğlu et al. 2020; Abbas et al. 2023). It also changed the surface survey workflows and made systematic sampling or transects simpler and more accessible.
This CAA Mobile GIS Special Interest Group meeting intends to create an environment for presenting and discussing the current projects. It focuses on the extended use of Mobile GIS integrated with other platforms and tools for mapping and monitoring sites, artifacts, and other types of tangible and intangible heritage. In this meeting, we aim to explore the following questions: What changes, benefits, or challenges has mobile technology brought to the overall field workflow? How has it impacted the data lifecycle and research publication or reporting process? How can Mobile GIS impact and empower communities of archaeologists from different countries and continents? How the Mobile GIS can protect heritage and mitigate its destruction or looting?
The session welcomes papers devoted to:
field surveys,
recording, monitoring, management, field verification and reporting using portable devices,
Mobile GIS,
settlement analysis,
citizen science,
surveying in the forest,
public archaeology.
Other Format Description
The session will contain 20-minute presentations and will be followed by a discussion block.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Athens, Greece
