Skeuomorphism in Digital Archeological Practice: A Barrier to Progress, or a Vital Cog in the Wheels of Change?

Abstract

This article focuses on the role of “skeuomorphic technologies” and “skeuomorphs of practice” in the development of digital workflows in archeology, seeking to examine whether there are common trends toward skeuomorphism in our development of digital infrastructures. By considering the way in which GIS, tablet, and 3D technologies were integrated into the digital field recording at the sites of Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Kämpinge in Sweden, we argue that skeuomorphic emulation may form an essential part of the process of “controlling” “socializing” new digital technologies and ultimately transforming digital practice. Ultimately we contend that a field approach that explicitly takes into account skeuomorphism as a crucial element of transformation is more likely to encourage the development of practices, which go behind the traditional investigation paradigms. Understanding the role of skeuomorphism as a mode of socializing technology (see below) within the broader framework of the development of digital field practices can help us to critically address the process of transformation of practice and identify new methodological directions.

Keywords

• archaeological method
• digital archaeology
• skeuomorphism
• 3d
• archaeological recording