Virtual Archaeology

Cyberculture meets ancient culture in Forte and Siliotti's "atlas of archaeological models." Using computer reconstructions of many of the world's most fascinating archaeological sites, the editors show us just how much cybertechnology adds to our understanding of lost worlds. They document how, as sites are unearthed, measured, and documented, the discoveries find their way into cybernetic models that both sharpen scholars' understanding of the discoveries and allow scholars to further explore these worlds. The process of constructing digital models forces archaeologists to systematically ask questions about what the lighting would have been like in a particular room or what a building's original texture and color would have been. The resulting models may go so far as to allow scholars to walk the virtual roadways and hallways of ancient cities, seeing them very similarly to how they would have appeared to their inhabitants. As new data arises, archaeologists can alter the models accordingly.

Forte and Siliotti's gorgeous oversize volume displays these cybermodels alongside the stories of the discoveries themselves. The book shows many lifelike and stunning representations of long-lost places. However, not only do the cybermodels offer insight into the distant past, they also provide invaluable models of the immediate past--the excavations themselves. The editors discuss how archaeology paradoxically involves a degree of destruction to enable reconstruction. Forte and Siliotti explain that each excavation requires a level of history to be moved out of the way to reveal the level beneath. And while archaeologists replace what they move, virtual archaeology allows for three-dimensional models to maintain details of the entire site in easily accessible cyberspace. Beautiful to look at and awe-inspiring to read, Virtual Archaeology is an ideal book for all those who love both the past and the future.