Rescuing from the Past,
Saving for the Future: An Archaeological Science Perspective on Collaborative
Data, Annapaola Passerini, Rebecca Gerdes, Alice Wolff, Anna Whittemore, Sam
Disotell, Jillian Goldfarb
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 3:30 pm,
Track 2
Archaeology reconstructs the
human past through the interpretation of its material remains. The last few
decades have witnessed a boost in the application of STEM techniques to the
study of the archaeological record, allowing for the investigation of a variety
of materials (e.g. stone, metal, ceramics, organic residues, soil, plant and
animal remains) at both the micro and macro level. However, as this subfield of
archaeology progressively acquires distinct academic authority under the name
of “Archaeological Science”, so do numerous challenges stem from its
interdisciplinary nature straddling the worlds of humanities and natural
sciences. The production of “Archaeological Science Data” brings necessary
attention to issues of research design and sampling strategies, especially
given the mismatch between the reproducibility of laboratory techniques to
acquire scientific data on materials, and the non-reproducibility and,
sometimes, less than ideal representativity of samples collected from the archaeological
field. The correct interpretation of such data, therefore, requires a robust
understanding of both the social, cultural, and environmental characteristics
of the archaeological context of sampling, and the implicit limitations and
affordance of the specific STEM technique used in the lab. The renewed interest
in legacy data due to the conditions created by COVID-19 have spurred
archaeologists to reflect on the limitations of interdisciplinary collaboration
and the need to create datasets that could, at once, make sense in the present
and be understandable in the future. This panel seeks to expose critical
aspects of the production of collaborative data within the discipline of
Archaeological Science. Salient points will include the role of research
questions in shaping data, standardization, interdisciplinary communication,
and storage sustainability. Case studies will be drawn from several
specializations, including residue analysis, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology,
bioarchaeology, and radiocarbon dating. Ultimately, this panel wishes to
inspire more responsible and informed approaches to collaboration within
archaeology and beyond. Speakers: Annapaola Passerini, Rebecca Gerdes,
Alice Wolff, Anna Whittemore, Sam Disotell and Jillian
Goldfarb
OSF Meeting site where slides
are posted: https://osf.io/meetings/CDOD21/