C8879 - METODOLOGIE DIGITALI PER L'ARCHEOLOGIA PREVENTIVA (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student is familiar with the most modern digital techniques for investigating, documenting, and analyzing archaeological sites and landscapes within the framework of preventive archaeology. She/he possesses the critical ability to choose the most suitable digital techniques and tools for the various operational phases required by preventive archaeology activities and have basic knowledge of how to use them. She/he is informed about the different environments in which to process acquired data in order to obtain appropriate digital mappings, on which she/he has learned how to carry out spatial analyses. She/he understands the value of organizing and managing archaeological data through digital means, databases, and interpreted outputs.

Course contents

The course is designed to provide the digital skills that are now essential for anyone intending to pursue a professional career in preventive archaeology.

Starting with an overview of the legal and regulatory framework governing preventive archaeology, the course will examine the operational contexts in which digital technologies have become indispensable, as well as those in which their adoption represents a significant added value for the professional profile of a young archaeologist.

Drawing on the critical discussion of a range of case studies, the course will introduce the working environments, data-acquisition methodologies, and digital documentation management and dissemination procedures required in preventive archaeology.

The first part of the course will focus on the regulatory framework and the principal operational contexts in which professional archaeology supports the development of public and private infrastructure projects, with particular attention to archaeological monitoring during earth-moving operations, stratigraphic excavation, and field survey.

The second part will present the main web-GIS platforms currently employed for managing archaeological documentation at both the national (GNA) and local (RAPTOR, SITAR, ArcheoDB) levels.

The final part of the course will explore the most effective methodologies and tools for the acquisition, analysis, and dissemination of spatial data, with particular emphasis on the skills that are expected to play an increasingly central role in professional archaeological practice:

• instrumental survey;
• Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry;
• spatial data management in GIS environments;
• technical drawing in CAD environments;
• applications of artificial intelligence.

Readings/Bibliography

A specific reading list, drawn from the most recent scholarly literature, will be provided for each class.

The following references are intended to provide a general introduction to the topics covered in the course:

Part I – The Regulatory Framework

Giannitrapani E. 2025, Normativa, protocolli e metodi dell'archeologia preventiva, Sicilia Archeologica; Roma Vol. 116: 163-184. DOI:10.48255/2283-3307.SICA.116.2025.10

Vanzetti A., Marino S. 2024, Resources, Opportunities and Limits of Data and Open Source Tools Used in Preventive Archaeology, Proceedings 96, 3. DOI:10.3390/proceedings2024096003

 

Part II - Geoportals

Acconcia V., Boi V., Falcone A., Di Cocco I., Serlorenzi M., Dati aperti in archeologia: una riflessione sullo stato dell’arte nell’ambito del Ministero della Cultura, Archeologia e Calcolatori, 35.2: 29-38. DOI:10.19282/ac.35.2.2024.04

Cantatore M.F.A., Di Cocco I., Moine C., Podini M., Sericola M. 2024, ArcheoDB, a new geodatabase of archaeological findings for conservation and research in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy): the case of the Soprintendenza of Parma and Piacenza, GROMA. Documenting Archaeology 9: 122-140. DOI: 10.32028/Groma-Issue-9-2024-3238

Frassine M., De Francesco S., Zambetti A. 2021, RAPTOR reloaded. Un geodatabase gestionale per la tutela archeologica: nuovi aggiornamenti per un sistema aperto, Archeologia e Calcolatori, 32.1: 307-324. DOI:10.19282/ac.32.1.2021.17

Serlorenzi M. 2018, Accessibilità e diffusione del dato archeologico: l’esperienza del SITAR, in M. Arizza, V. Boi, A. Caravale, A. Palombini, A. Piergrossi (eds.), I dati archeologici. Accessibilità, proprietà, disseminazione (Roma - CNR, 23 maggio 2017), «Archeologia e Calcolatori», 29, pp. 31-40.

Serlorenzi M., D’andrea A., Rosa C., Rosati P., Sepio D. 2025, Preliminary results of the archaeological potential map in SITAR, Archeologia e Calcolatori, 35.2: 285-298. DOI:10.19282/ac.35.2.2024.31

 

Part III - Digital survey tools and methods

Fiorini A. 2025, Scansioni dinamiche con il LiDAR di Apple: esperienze di rilievo archeologico (2021-2023), Archeologia e Calcolatori Supplemento 13: 249-266. DOI:10.19282/acs.13.2025.18

Morrison, W., Thomas, R. and Gosden, C. 2014 Laying Bare the Landscape: commercial archaeology and the potential of digital spatial data, Internet Archaeology 36. DOI:10.11141/ia.36.9

Opitz R., Limp W.F. 2015, Recent Developments in High-Density Survey and Measurement (HDSM) for Archaeology: Implications for Practice and Theory, Annual Review of Anthropology 44: 47–64. DOI:10.1146/annurev-anthro-102214-013845

Putzolu C., Baione C., Cocca E., Laurenza S. 2020, Rescue archaeology in the Sultanate of Oman: methods and solution strategies, in C. Coppini, F. Simi (eds.), Interactions and New Directions in Near Eastern Archaeology. Volume 3. Proceedings of the 5th “Broadening Horizons” Conference (Udine 5-8 June 2017), Trieste: 405-419.

Teaching methods

The course is structured around a combination of lectures covering both the latest developments in preventive archaeology—such as the Ministry's web-based geoportals for the management of archaeological data across the national territory—and the principal methodologies for the acquisition, management, and interpretation of archaeological data. The aim is to foster students' critical awareness of the role of digital technologies in the everyday practice of preventive archaeology, encouraging them to understand both their practical applications and their methodological implications.

The final class will be entirely devoted to a seminar-based discussion in which each student will present a Preliminary Archaeological Report for the Preventive Archaeological Impact Assessment (VPIA), prepared on the basis of a hypothetical development project. Students will then discuss with the teacher and their peers the process of preparing such a report, reflecting on both the methodological choices involved and the challenges encountered during its preparation.

Assessment methods

Student assessment will be based not only on the final examination (technical competencies), but also on active participation throughout the course and on the presentation of an individual assignment during the final class (transversal skills).

The final assessment will consist of:

- Preparation of a Preliminary Archaeological Report for the Preventive Archaeological Impact Assessment (VPIA) (individual assignment), based on a hypothetical development project located in a study area selected by each student. The VPIA is one of the core procedures of preventive archaeology and will be examined extensively throughout the course. Students will be assessed on the quality of the archaeological analysis, the organization and clarity of the report, and the quality of the accompanying cartography.

-Oral examination to assess students' knowledge and understanding of the course content and the agreed reading list.

Students who do not attend the course will be required to prepare a comparable archaeological report for an area agreed upon with the teacher, in addition to completing an oral examination based on a reading list agreed upon with the teacher.

Attending the classes will make it easier to pass the exam. A student is considered a participant if they attend at least 75% of the classes.

The exam sessions will be announced well in advance and will be scheduled on a monthly basis from October to July, for a total of 10 sessions per academic year.

Teaching tools

The lectures will have PowerPoint presentations.

During the final seminar, based on the presentations of the students' works, the lecturer will act as moderator in a discussion aimed at involving all the students.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Cristiano Putzolu