Archaeology
and Computers
International Workshop 9, Vienna, City Hall 3.-5. November 2004 in Wien
Veranstalter:
The International Workshop 9 : "Archaeology and Computers" is
organized by the City of Vienna, Municipal Authority Department 7 - Culture
Office for Cultural Heritage and City Archaeology
Gebhard J. Selz & Friedrich T. Schipper (University of Vienna)
Information:
www.archaeologie-wien.at/workshop/
www.univie.ac.at/orientalistik
www.univie.ac.at/iraq/symposium2004
The great
advances of computer science during the last years have also brought unforesee
developments in archaeology. Consequently, many archaeologists developed
from ordinary users to professional designers of custom-made computer
applications. In the early 90's, however, Austrian archaeology was still
lacking collaboration and cooperation with the computer industry. Therefore,
an attempt was made to create a platform for the exchange
of developments of standardized applications, for problem solutions, and
for the promotion of closer cooperation.
With this goal in mind, the Workshop "Archaeology and Computer",
was brought to life in 1996 by the joint cooperation of the "Vienna
Society for City Archaeology " and the Municipal Authority Department
14. Since then it has taken place annually. During the first years, it
attracted not only archaeologists, but also specialists from other fields
of studies as well as computer specialists and representatives from community
organizations and the private
industry from various European countries and throughout the world. The
lectures are published in same-name workshop volumes. Since 1998 they
are published on CD.
"Archaeology and Computers" will deal with four main subjects:
Tourism - World Cultural Heritage - EDP
XML (Internet-Language)
Digital Elevation Models
Hot spots in the Near East and the protection of cultural property
SPECIAL SESSIONS:
"Looted Past - digitized Future? Hot spots in the Near East and the
protection of cultural
property - how can computers help?"
On
the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Hague Convention for the Protection
of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 5th anniversary
of the 2nd Protocol to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of Armed Conflict we invite you to special sessions
at the International Workshop 9 "Archaeology and Computers"
under the auspices of the Austrian Initiative for the Iraqi World Cultural
Heritage organized by the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, the Austrian
Society for the Protection of Cultural Property, the Institute of Oriental
Studies at the University of Vienna and the Office for Cultural Heritage
and City Archaeology, City of Vienna.
The endangering of the mankind's world cultural heritage in the Near East
became clearly evident during the course of and in the aftermath of the
3rd Gulf War in Iraq in 2003. After a first wave of media hype following
the looting of the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, information became
less available concerning the cultural treasures of ancient Iraq. But
the plundering still continued - and not only in war-shaken Iraq. Investigations
concerning the damage
have just started.
Considerations about future work to prevent such disastrous losses of
cultural property in the event of armed conflict and the anarchy associated
with it have barely begun. The recent war in Iraq has shown very bluntly
that international conventions for the protection of cultural property
(as the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the
Event of Armed Conflict) have a very limited effect and are not strictly
observed in the course of war. Also, armed conflict in Israel and the
Palestinian territories constitutes a growing threat to the cultural heritage
of the southern Levant. In fact the tense political situation throughout
the whole Near East gives every reason to worry about an increasing danger
for world cultural heritage in this region. Since the situation is so
dire, we look to modern technology, computer applications and digital
data bases to serve as decisive tools in the evaluation of the current
state of preservation of and the damage to cultural property, and for
the documentation of
present and past conditions in possible later preservation and prevention
work - and thus for the
future of cultural heritage in the Near East.
The sessions of "Looted Past - Digitalized Future?" within the
framework of the 9th International Workshop "Archaeology and Computers"
are meant to be forums in which scholars may present new and successful
projects dealing with preservation issues with the use of digital technology.
The forums will encourage the exchange of information about these projects
and their methods and the coordination of cooperative efforts to increase
the use of digital tools in the near future.
In June 2003 the symposium "Looted, Destroyed, and Forgotten: Protecting
Cultural Heritage in War and World Cultural Heritage in Iraq" took
place in Graz and Vienna. This meeting was organized by the Austrian Initiative
for Iraqi World Cultural Heritage and was initiated by the Institute of
Near Eastern Studies at the University of Vienna. The aim of this organizing
committee was to react quickly and non-bureaucratically to the news of
the looting of the
Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad and other museums, as well as archaeological
and historical sites throughout the country. A basis for communication
was created to organize prompt aid within Austria and to coordinate this
aid with that from international partners and institutions. The committee
was able to invite to Austria delegates from relevant Iraqi institutions
such as the then director general of the Iraqi National Museum, Dr. Nawaleh
Mutawalli. The invitees were able to meet delegates from UNESCO as well
as from US-American, British and German institutions. The documentation
of this symposium was published online (www.univie.ac.at/orientalsitik/plundern.html)
and in print.
Corresponding to the variations in the possibilities in the applications
of computer systems, the symposium is divided into two sessions:
A) The use of computer supported systems for the documentation and protection
of archaeological sites, e.g. the use of geographical information systems
for the protection of cultural property.
B) The use of digitalisation and the employment of databases for the documentation
and protection of artefacts: the archival and image-based documentation
of excavations and collections of museums, e.g. preserved architecture,
cuneiform tablets, stamp and cylinder seals, etc. We will keep at the
forefront of our discussions at both sessions any suggestions that will
coordinate and provide access to the publication of relevant data via
a central organisation unit (e.g. via UNESCO) and on the World Wide Web.
Registration fee:
EUR 50.- / EUR 25.- for students
Papers:
The submission of an abstract with between 200 and 300 words is required.
The abstract deadline is the 23rd of May 2004.
Please submit via email:kongrarchae@m07.magwien.gv.at
Length of an individual submission: 25 minutes, including discussion
letzte Aktualisierung: 13.6.2004