Digital Archaeology Laboratory
Led by Dr. Jason Herrmann | Email: caam@pennmuseum.org
The CAAM Digital Archaeology Laboratory is dedicated to providing students training in digital data collection and analysis techniques including field metrology, 3D data acquisition and visualization, database design and management, spatial analysis, and remote sensing including archaeological geophysics.
Continuing Penn Museum’s tradition of archaeological remote sensing pioneered by Elizabeth K. Ralph in the 1960s, our strength is in landscape archaeology and remote sensing approaches, drawing from aerial and satellite imaging, and near-surface geophysical prospection.
The CAAM Digital Archaeology Lab provides instruction and research support for students and faculty from the departments of Anthropology, Classical Studies, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and South Asia Studies, as well as students in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World Graduate Group (AAMW) and the Penn Cultural Heritage Center. CAAM Digital Archaeology Lab courses and research projects engage communities in the greater Philadelphia region through collaborative research, Penn-sponsored public programs, and courses in digital archaeology that include local field opportunities.
Current Research Projects
Active projects in the CAAM Digital Archaeology Laboratory are integrated into CAAM coursework and welcome student contributions.
- Community Oriented Digital Archaeology; documenting and reconstructing African American Mortuary Landscapes
- Reconstructing Historical Garden Landscapes
- Digging Digital Data at Sybaris and Elis
- Reconstructing landscapes of ancient Sam’al
- Space and Identity in Ancient Motya
Hardware
- (8) Dell OptiPlex 7090 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-11700, 32GB RAM
- (2) Alienware Aurora R13 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 12900KF (16-Core, 30MB Cache, 3.2GHz to 5.2GHz w/Turbo Boost Max 3.0) 64GB Dual Channel DDR5 at 4400MHz; up to 128GB
- (2) Samsung Tab Active Pro field tablets
- Mersive Solstice Pod for wireless presentation
Software
- ArcGIS Pro
- QGIS3
- Terrasurveyor Geophysical Data Processing Software (1 seat)
- GPR-Slice GPR Processing Software with Multichannel extension (1 seat)
- Agisoft Metashape Professional (3 seats, on server in DRL)
- Reality Capture (25 floating seats)
- Clark Labs TerrSet (6 seats courtesy of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities)
- DJI Terra
Geophysical Survey Instruments
- Soil Resistance Meter: RM Frobisher TAR-3 Soil Resistance Meter
- Magnetic Gradiometer: Bartington Grad601-2 Dual-Sensor Magnetic Gradiometer
- Magnetic Gradiometer: SENSYS MXPDA 5 sensor cart
- Ground-Penetrating Radar: GSSI SIR-4000 with 350MHz Hyperstacking Antenna, 3 wheel cart with GPS mount
Imaging and Positioning
- (1) Emlid M2 GNSS Receiver
- (1) Emlid RS GNSS Receiver
- (2) Emlid RS2 GNSS Receivers
- DJI Mavic Pro UAS
- DJI Matrice 300 UAS
- Zenmuse L1 Lidar Sensor
- (2) Foldio studio set for photogrammetry
- CHI RTI Kit
- Material Past in a Digital World – CLST 1303, ANTH 1303, ARTH 0127, HIST 0871
- Intro to Digital Archaeology – CLST 3307, ANTH 3307, NELC 3950, CLST 5620 AAMW 5620, ANTH 5220
- Geophysical Prospection for Archaeology – ANTH 5720, AAMW 5720, CLST 7315, NELC 5925
- Surface Archaeology – CLST 3321, CLST 5231, AAMW 5239
- CAAM Intensive Course Series: Archaeogeophysics