EASONS

FEATURE
Digging for Truth:
Archaeology Goes High Tech
From drones to virtual reality, new technology is helping Connecticut
archaeologists dig deeply into civilizations past and present. From analyzing
DNA on cigarette butts left behind at crime scenes to using radio waves
to locate the lost city of Atlantis, here’s how local researchers are making
ground-breaking discoveries at home and abroad.
What’s new in archaeology? It may seem like an odd
question. Surely nothing can really be new in a
study that involves sifting through tons of dirt,
dusting off ancient relics, and learning about civilizations that
are hundreds–if not thousands–of years old.
But here in Connecticut, professors are using 3-D
modeling in their archaeology classrooms. Forensic scholars
are attaching infrared cameras to drones. Researchers are
identifying the wines of forgotten bacchanals and using new
methods to explore classical ruins. There’s even one local
academic who, with the help of recent scientific advances,
firmly believes he’s actually found the lost city of Atlantis.
New technology is helping Connecticut archaeologists
dig deeply into civilizations past and present, as they face
challenges across the globe. Here is an overview of some of
their ground-breaking discoveries.
Tomb Grader
Kate Birney, a Wesleyan professor with a PhD from
Harvard, is using virtual reality (VR) in the field and recently
began teaching a new type of archaeology class that combines
classical research with modern design tools.
“We’re using technology that has never been applied
before,” she says, of her on-site excavations in locations like
the Greek island of Crete. With x-ray fluorescence (XRF), for
example, archaeologists can “figure out what kinds of metals
swords are made from.” DNA analysis reveals new insights
about human remains.
“With new virtual reality technology, we can recreate the
experience of being in ancient buildings and approaching
these monuments,” she says. The tool suite the team is using
is called Unreal Engine. Eventually, virtual reality will allow
students anywhere in the world to step inside Cretan tombs
and pick up artifacts. “The more familiar we get with this
technology, the more we can teach students how to use it, as
well,” she says. In the summer, students accompany her to
sites in Israel and Crete to gain fieldwork experience and to
see these archaeological innovations at work.
Meanwhile, back in her Connecticut classroom, there’s
also technical wizardry transforming the study of archaeology.
Birney teaches an experimental course with professor
Christopher Parslow: “Visualizing the Classical.” Students
learn how to use laser scanning and photogrammetry to
create 3-D images of artifacts like Etruscan vases; they build
3-D models of Crete’s Minoan palaces; they’re encouraged to
ponder questions: What might the walls feel like? How does
the light hit this area at different times of day?
This tech makes the archeology field less rarefied, as
students who can’t afford pricey trips around the world can
still participate in the process via modeling.
Birney also maps and records local archaeological sites
on field trips with her students. Ruins in Glastonbury and
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Seasons of West Hartford • SPRING 2017