New technologies and archeology: how are the most modern methods with which the past is unearthed?
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New technologies are increasingly present in a multitude of professions, such as archeology . Even if it consists of interpreting ancient civilizations, many experts use the most modern inventions to better understand our history.
The importance of adapting to more up-to-date methods to avoid invasive techniques with the terrain or to disseminate the findings. In Los Bañales, a site in a Roman city located in Uncastillo (Zaragoza, Aragon ), they are aware of this and have been applying new technologies to their work for years with the help of experts, such as Pablo Serrano Basterra and Iker Ibero Iriarte .
Javier Andreu , scientific director of the Los Bañales project and the Diploma of Archeology at the University of Navarra highlights the geomagnetic surveys with georadar that they carried out between 2010 and 2013 at the site.
“ Sometimes we continue working with a purely traditional archeology: excavating, documenting what was excavated and interpreting it from a historical point of view,” says Andreu-. But in the process of documenting the registry , photogrammetry has entered with great force , which allows a totally accurate and reliable documentation of each of the layers of the deposit ”.
In archeology, Andreu explains that they excavate in layers and that each one must be photographed and described. According to him, this process is " a bit subjective" , however, through photogrammetry they can have " a three-dimensional photo on the computer " and turn to it when in doubt.
Of the technological methods used in this science, the scientific director of Los Bañales points out two widely used today: geoarchaeology and virtual archeology.
Geoarchaeology
According to Andreu, this practice " consists of applying techniques of the archaeological method that are not invasive , that is, fleeing from everything that means removing the ground, excavating or impacting the surface to obtain results ."
Within geoarchaeology, Andreu talks about aerial photography: “ It involves flying a surface, treating it with chromatic filters and thermal cameras to see the differential growth of the vegetation, if there are structures underneath, and calculate their elevation and visibility by recreating how it rose. on the ground ”.
This method is already being developed in Spain and has a clear advantage: " It is not destructive on archaeological sites ". Andreu says that, in general, when excavating the excavated must be preserved " because there may be pieces left ". However, this technology makes it possible to make " an X-ray of the subsoil and respond to elements that the excavation of traditional archaeological research does not solve by itself ".
Virtual archeology
Javier Andreu highlights from this practice its diffusion capacity: “It makes it possible for people to understand archaeological remains ”. In Los Bañales, they have 3D recreations , with video tours of the site and with QR codes.
Likewise, the scientific director of the project affirms that these activities also encourage researchers to ask themselves new questions. " When we began to excavate the Los Bañales forum, we did not imagine what the architectural structure was like in elevation - Andreu mentions, it was when we began to make the videos that we asked ourselves how high that portico would be, where the lighting would enter, and so on " .
With regard to dissemination, Andreu assures that " 3D recreations allow people to better understand buildings " . In addition, he speaks that these activities also help them to know the work that archaeologists do: " Our activity is not only scientific and aimed at our own satisfaction, but it has to serve society ."
In the case of the Roman site of Los Bañales, Andreu highlights the 3D recreation of the forum: " When people see the 3D model, they are really seeing the answer to all the scientific questions that an archaeologist has had to face ."
A video game to bring archeology closer to the new generations
The Los Bañales site, together with that of Santa Criz de Eslava (Navarra), is part of a project to promote scientific vocations for epigraphy and archeology among the youngest. In this project, Andreu highlights his collaboration with the universities of Coimbra (Portugal), Bordeaux (France) and Sapienza (Italy).
With the financing of half a million euros from Creative Europe , which is a division of the European Union, Andreu explains that they are developing three parts: “ An audiovisual series, a virtual museum and a video game ”.
However, the most remarkable thing is undoubtedly the video game: " Its main objective is to bring young people , especially in secondary and high school, the role that Roman inscriptions had in ancient societies as a vehicle of communication ."
To do this, the young people will become artisans, manufacturers of Roman inscriptions and will travel to different cities of Ancient Rome attending to different orders, such as funeral inscriptions or the gods.
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