From data collection to analysis: Designing a relational database for archaeological research in the eastern Rhodope region

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate the potential of relational databases for archaeological purposes in storing, organizing, managing, querying, and analysis of various types of data. This results in exploration of the long-term settlement history of a regional landscape. The organization and analysis of spatial and non-spatial archaeological datasets pose significant challenges for archaeologists, particularly when it comes to integrating data from multiple sources, representing spatial relationships among data elements, and accommodating multiple scales of analysis. In recent years, advances in database technologies have enabled archaeologists to organize these datasets more effectively through the application of relational databases. This study focuses on the design of a relational database for the eastern Rhodope region in Bulgaria, with the further goal of investigating settlement patterns through the identification, mapping, and analysis of archaeological sites and their spatial relationships. The aim of this research is to explore how archaeologists can enhance their analysis of complex datasets by adopting relational database design, which enables effective organization and integration of data from various sources.

Keywords

• Archaeological relational database
• spatial reference
• PostgreSQL
• PostGIS
• organizing data
• query analysis