Ethics in Archaeological GIS -- Archaeological Sites in Jordan

     This week we discussed ethics in archaeology (see the section below for a brief discussion), the importance of data security, and site conservation. As looting is a significant problem in the archaeological world it is vital that steps are taken to ensure the preservation and conservation of our collective history. Certain institutions, like the Getty Conservation Institute, have created web-based systems for assessing the condition and maintenance of archaeological sites. MEGAJordan (Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities) is one such site and it uses GIS to manage and inventory archaeological sites in Jordan. There is an introductory video along with several other tutorials that discuss how to navigate and utilize the site. (It is pretty nifty. I imagine there will be similar GIS systems available for every country eventually.)
     For this week's assignment we were given a list of archaeological locations in a spreadsheet. The MEGAJordan search function was used to gather coordinates to populate the spreadsheet. This data was then imported into ArcGIS as a feature class in a file geodatabase. The map below displays these locations. I also included a screen capture of a search for the site of Petra. It shows the user interface and some of the features of the MEGA Jordan GIS.

Map deliverable showing
archaeological sites in Jordan.

A screenshot showing the UI for the MEGA Jordan site. 

     To facilitate the discussion of ethics in archaeology we read two articles. One written by Brian Fagan - "The Arrogant Archaeologist" - and another that summarized the necessity for and the development of principles in archaeology (SAA link below). In short, the need for public outreach and education concerning the treatment of not only artifacts but also place is as important now as it ever was. Thanks to social media I am able to follow several archaeological outreach programs (such as the Florida Public Archaeology Network). I try to share as many events as I can.

Some Professional Codes and Standards

• Society for American Archaeology
• Society for Historical Archaeology (navigate to the bottom of the page for links and information on other professional society statements and blogs)
• Register of Professional Archaeologists