Image: 3D GIS project of the field investigation campaign at the archaeological site of Västra Vång, Blekinge. Project developed by Lund University Digital Archaeology Laboratory - DarkLab in collaboration with Blekinge Museum.

Archaeologists are working on what happened a very long time ago, carefully digging out piece by piece of older cultural layers. It is easy to think that archaeology would be one of the most traditional disciplines in the scientific world where you work just as you have always done. It is true that archaeologists are still working on excavations — but in recent decades, new technologies have revolutionized, among other things, how to document and analyze work.

- Archaeology is a discipline that fits very well with digitisation, says Nicolò Dell'Unto, professor of archaeology at Lund University. This is mainly due to the fact that when we excavate, we also permanently remove the cultural layers we dig in. The ability to document in 3D is incredibly important.

3D technology can be used to capture various aspects of archaeological information and can be performed using a variety of tools, such as GPS, totaltation, laser scanning or photogrammetry. Today, even drones can be used to carry sensors that collect data that can be used to create high-resolution 3D representations of landscapes. In traditional excavations, graphic documentation is carried out mainly with two-dimensional drawings and images (digital or analog). In digital archaeology, objects are identified and then recorded in high resolution for display using advanced 3D visualisation systems. After that, everything is stored in a very powerful database with built-in tools that allow the archaeologists to combine different searches and make analyses. Through it, they can see new relationships, but also make classification and perform different sections to analyze the location. The material can then also be used to visualize the find location in a museum (which The culture and Historical Museum) or even to make computer games.

- When registering in the GIS system, all objects end up in the correct position relative to each other, explains Stefan Lindgren, research engineer at The Humanities Lab. If you come back to the same place and do excavations at a later date, you can pick up older data and see how it relates to what you're doing today.

Today lies Lund University The field of digital archaeology is well advanced and this has developed especially in the last fifteen years. Stefan Lindgren works at Lund University's Humanities Laboratory (Humlab), which is a research infrastructure where researchers can combine traditional and new research methods with the support of technology. The lab has expertise in a variety of technologies and Stefan's part of the lab works with 3D visualization and documentation, among other things.

- Around 2009 Humlab had a lot of equipment but not so many users from the Department of Archaeology, says Stefan Lindgren. But when Nicolò Dell'Unto came to Lund, he had knowledge in digital archaeology that could help us improve and allowed us to create more projects using the equipment.

Nicolò Dell'Unto, during his archaeological studies, had been interested from the very beginning in how technology could be used in archaeology. His master's degree at the University of Rome dealt with digital practices and his PhD focused on the use of digital technologies in support of archaeological practice. He subsequently worked as a researcher and lecturer in digital archaeology in Italy, Switzerland and the United States, and has been involved in many international projects around the world focusing on 3D documentation and visualization techniques for archaeological sites. In 2009, he got the job of Assistant Senior Lecturer in Digital Archaeology at the IDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University.

- Together with Stefan and some other research colleagues, I started a research group within digital archaeology. Then it was also formed The Darklab (Lund University digital archeology lab) which is a collaborative initiative and now a national infrastructure that focuses solely on various aspects of digital archaeology.

The collaboration has continued and developed over the years. Although Stefan Lindgren is a research engineer and not an archaeologist, he usually participates in excavations from time to time to test the equipment. In this way Stefan has been able to help develop methods by testing the instruments on site.

- For me, the most interesting thing is to ponder why one method does not work, because it can lead to other knowledge. One thing that I really like about archaeologists is that they are positive about trying any method that might be useful. They are also happy to enlist the help of other specialists to find out archaeological facts.

In 2010, the first course in digital archaeology was held in Lund. Now many international students come to learn from what is in Lund.

- Lund is definitely something extra, says Nicolò Dell'Unto. It is a combination of labs, collaborations and projects with PhD students and people doing their postdoc. The Department of Archaeology and Ancient History offers courses that are highly specialized in the use of technology according to archaeology practice. We know that many students come to Lund to take our international master's course in archaeology.

- It is awesome that so many international students have chosen to study digital archaeology in Lund, continues Stefan. This is based on something we have built together over many years. Part of it is having the equipment but it is also having the knowledge of what use it can do.

Of course, it is not only Nicolò Dell'Unto and Stefan Lindgren who work with digital archaeology, but everything is done together with a whole group of colleagues.

- There are many combinations of subjects and colleagues with fantastic research published in top journals, explains Nicolò Dell'Unto. There are techniques in other disciplines that can be integrated into digital archaeology projects, such as geophysics or archaeobotanics. In one of DarkLab's projects, we have trained algorithms to identify new archaeologically interesting sites using the 3D environment and are also developing a project together with linguists. The Finnish Transport Aviation School (TFHS) is located at Lund University and thus LU is one of the few universities in Europe with higher education in aviation. The Swedish Transport Academy has a drone lab and we have an ongoing collaboration with them. We are excited and proud of the opportunity to partner with everyone in this environment!

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Some techniques used

Geographic Information systems (GIS) are spatial databases used to manage the archaeological information retrieved during a survey campaign.

3D recording refers to the process of capturing and documenting objects, spaces, or environments in three dimensions. Among the various sensors available, LIDAR technology is one of the tools that archaeologists in Lund use to identify archaeological material hidden under vegetation.

Lunarc has a powerful supercomputing facility in Lund, and the archaeologists benefit greatly from being able to analyze and group large amounts of data.

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Darklab and Humlab

The name Darklab now stands for Lund University Digital Archelogy lab but from the beginning the idea was different.

- We sat in Kulturens café and thought of a name. We had just moved to LUX, which means light, and since the lab offices were in the basement, we thought DarkLab would be a natural name for us,” says Nicolò Dell'Unto.

The Darklab core group consists of a small number of scientists, but the majority of research projects based at the Institute of Archaeology and Ancient History rely on Darklab support.

The Humanist Laboratory is a university-joint research infrastructure within the Faculties of Humanities and Theology. The approximately 25 people working in the lab give researchers access to different types of measuring instruments, methodological knowledge regarding equipment, e-science tools and materials, as well as expertise in data management. Lab activities are focused on research on communication, culture, cognition, and learning.

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