When we speak of archaeology, we tend to automatically speak of the past. For most people, archaeology is the past – it deals with what was and if it touches upon the present and the future in any way, it does so because of museums, incidental finds during some other project (like on building sites) or through – often conflicted – public emotions about protection of cultural heritage.
In short, archaeology, for many people, is a boring thing that is really not useful, that has nothing to do with the present and the future, that gets in the way of life and only interests a couple of kooks anyway.
That is sad, because in reality, archaeology offers us so much more. It is a link to who we are, and to how we changed as time progressed. It offers a million glimpses into worlds that are often beyond our imagination. It enlightens us about survival in natural disasters (which we can still learn from today) (cf. link), helps dispel hate myths, explores pandemics and tells stories. Nor does it end some few thousand years ago; archaeology can and does explore eras closer to our own, and, much like anthropology, can explore our current behaviours to not only speculate about the future but make some shrewd guesses about the past as well.
What about technology? How does it feature?
In many ways, archaeology is about technology and always uses technology.
Technology is more than just your newest iPhone; its equivalent (by that I mean the newest item of social importance during that time, not an actual iPhone equivalent from some long-lost alien sci-fi civilisation) existed in some form as far back as humanity goes. Technology, by and large, is objects, material culture, that we use to live our life in some way, and that may be ascribed some sort of importance, be it for their quality or merely a social role they play; what those objects are changes, but our relationship to technology broadly remains the same.
With hi-tech, however, comes another exciting prospect – that of aiding discovery itself. Recently, I have stumbled upon Albert Lin’s Lost Cities National Geographic series (if you haven’t watched it yet, do!), and it is a truly impressive, breath-taking adventure that showcases brilliantly how technology can help archaeologists work – not only that, it may help illustrate to people just how rich an area is, and act as a bridge between communities and archaeologists, because we humans are visual creatures, and what we see can mean a lot more to us than any amount of words.
Nor is this the very first time technology has been used in archaeology, or the only technology every used. Bob Ballard’s work, for instance, used state-of-the-art sonar technology, as well as tiny remotely led robots (cf. link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4); SEARCH, currently at the top of the game for commercial archaeology, utilises even more technology (cf. link).
And while all human contact ultimately comes down to knowing how to communicate with people well, and to present data to them in an intelligible way, not to mention to quell any fears and misgivings that they might have, being able to provide clear data is where this truly starts.
So what can we expect in the near future of archaeology useful tech?
In reality, that is impossible to answer, because these days, innovations are around the corner everywhere. No one can predict what they will be with absolute certainty, because the process has become much faster and nobody knows everything.
But, to speculate, these are the things that we may want to watch out for.
– Use of the AI. (cf. link 1, search link)
AI is useful for pretty much everything, and that is an understatement. In archaeology, detection of new sites is the primary function, but so is, more and more, analysis of those sites. Where fast work is necessary, this can be a priceless solution. And as for any other analysis, such as of actual chemical components, or, for that matter language, sky is the limit.
-Tiny tech helpers.
Under that, I mean more and more gadgets. Probes, bots, drones, and probably machines that go beyond my own wildest imaginings, are slowly becoming a staple in archaeology… and, arguably, they are still at the start of where they could be headed. As technology develops, new lightweight, water and sand proof and terrain and need specific are likely to evolve at lightning speed.
-New types of specialist technology.
With innovation comes the chance to tackle terrains and tasks in ways that were unimaginable before. We are seeing that already in no small way… but chances are that further development is on the horizon, and that it will completely change how we do things (because it has already done that to some extent thus far). Dating, perhaps, may be the one aspect of archaeology where new and better precision tools that could help us establish a timeline with even greater accuracy, minimise error and margin, include materials that have been traditionally difficult to place and, above all, work without damaging or destroying even tiny samples (which may be all archaeologists have at any point), where change could be immense very soon. (cf. link 1, link 2)
Between the gadgets, the utilisation of machine and deep learning, and the understanding of niche specific uses of them, hi-tech is becoming a part of archaeology. But what is missing is the connection of these facts to the public perception. Shows like the Lost Cities are a good start, but are they truly enough when archaeology already has decades (or more) of miscomprehension, and often resulting dislike, to battle?
The trouble with shows is that when you are watching the Lost Cities, ten thousand people are watching reality shows or football instead. And while everyone should be free to watch whatever they enjoy watching, this does ultimately mean that these people, who are missing out on the information readily available to the public, will still be in the dark about it when next they venture an opinion that concerns archaeology – including opinions that may influence not only how the community relates to archaeology in general, but also to the heritage in their area and its protection. It is not solely about the wonder of discovery – though the wonder can do a lot -, it is also about understanding the entirety of the process, its importance and ultimately any benefits for not only the wider world, but the little world these people inhabit. In contact with communities, the wider world good is often a drawback when presented to them… they want to know what they, personally, can expect to benefit from, and whether their lives will be disrupted in any way.
Additionally, as we live in a world where conspiracy theories and politics of fear and hate are more and more rife, archaeology can be a valuable counterweight… but it can also be met with even more distrust than before.
The communication aspect of archaeology may always remain the domain of anthropology. But could the hi-tech be used in community outreach programmes to allay suspicion and help explain what it is that archaeology is even doing in that neck of the woods?
It is my firm belief that it can be. Whether it is by showcasing how areas are studied or by public displays of object analysis, or probably any number of other possibilities that I may not even think of, but someone else might, this is a step we should be considering taking, because it can take awkward attempts at communication, especially in potentially or actually hostile environments, and transform it into a completely different dialogue instead – one where the wonder may in fact overcome the distrust.