Dr. Kevin Fisher, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology
Archaeology aims to understand past societies through the discovery, recording and analysis of their material remains. This process is currently being revolutionized by new digital technologies. Dr. Kevin Fisher, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology, will explore some of prospects and problems of this new terrain through two case studies.
The first examines the challenges of modeling a series of monumental stucco masks adorning the façade of a 1500-year old temple at the Maya site of El Zotz, deep in the rain forests of Guatemala. The second looks at current efforts of the Kalavasos and Maroni Built Environments Project to integrate a number of new digital methods in its investigation of the social dynamics of the first cities that emerged on the island of Cyprus over 3000 years ago. This project is implementing a fully-digital workflow for recording excavations based on photogrammetric modeling and tablet-based data entry directly into a GIS. It also uses terrestrial laser scanning and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to produce 3D models at the scale of an entire urban landscape. He will also discuss his ongoing efforts to create an augmented reality app to enhance visitor experience at the site of Kalavasos.
Facilitator(s): Mark Christensen, Susan Atkey, Larissa Ringham, Milena Constanda