VISUAL HERITAGE, Vienna 2018
The 16th EUROGRAPHICS Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage (EG GCH), Vienna, Austria, November 12-15, 2018
Alena BISTÁKOVÁ | Elena BLAŽOVÁ | Peter BEDNÁR | Matej RUTTKAY, Slovakia
AN EVIDENCE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES IN SLOVAKIA
Keywords: evidence of archaeological activities, digitizing, database, ISAU, Slovakia
Abstract: In 1939, the Institute of Archaeology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences began developing a central register of archaeological activities in Slovakia. The primary database of the register comprises research reports of archaeological activities and other written records related to archaeological finds. This database is directly linked to photographic archives that document field activities and archaeological artefacts. The research depositories of the Institute record hundreds of thousands of finds divided into databases of vessels, small finds, pottery, anthropological material, archaeobotanical samples, animal bones, etc.
Because these databases contained so much information, it was necessary to prepare a central, mutually interrelated geoinformational structure. Thus, we developed an application that allows simple and fast access to the information. The application can be modified to add new data fields or data sets, and the system integrates various types of databases and digital supplementary materials. In addition, the system includes a database of archaeological artefacts from specific times and places. The application can track an artefact on the basis of its storage codes, current place of loan, or restoration documentation. It permits online editing of individual entries within a predefined personal manager interface, provides opportunities for scientific research, and allows analyses using multiple search criteria.
The aim of this project was to develop an information and communication centre that includes a database of archaeological and relevant spatial data from Slovakia. The system is designed for the scientific and general community, as well as for local municipalities, to ensure that archaeological finds are more thoroughly protected and used in education, tourism, and other activities.
The first – trial – version of the geoinformational system is currently available on the Geoportal.sk website.