METODOLOGIE INFORMATICHE APPLICATE AGLI SCAVI ARCHEOLOGICI

Informatic methods applied to archaeological excavations In the last decades the use of information technology in archaeology has opened the way to new and increasingly useful and sophisticated systems of documentation; however it is necessary the definition of an adequate theoretical basis and the discussion of the documentation methods adopted, which are specific to each archaeological context. The archiving of archaeological data constitutes an essential basis for the formulation of reconstructive hypotheses and interpretative scenarios and, at the same time, it allows the control and the verification by the scientific community, as well as the possibility of review and the formulation of new hypothesis. The aim of this thesis is to present a new methodological model applied to the palaeolithic site of Isernia La Pineta (Isernia, Italy), characterized by an extraordinary concentration of archaeological pieces and a complex depositional and post-depositional phenomena. This new model, based on the registration of archaeological data for the formalization and processing information and digital contents, has allowed the revision and the rielaboration of the traditional technical documentation. The application of this new methodological model, created ad hoc, has allowed us to fully achieve the preset objectives: the speed of data acquisition has increased along with the degree of precision and accuracy of the same and, simultaneously, it was recorded a reduction of errors in the process of documentation. Beyond the application to the specific context of Isernia La Pineta, the most interesting element of this new methodological model is the possibility of replication in other archaeological contexts. Effectively, it is a model which combines simplicity and versatility of use and it does not require large investments and even special computer knowledge and skills for its use. It also allows the visualization and updating in real time of excavation data and, guaranteeing a link between excavation area and laboratory, a control of the data, resulting in a reduction of the errors.