This presentation provides an insightful view in the process of digitising agenda in Czech archaeology. A cornerstone of this is the Archaeological Information System of the Czech Republic (AIS CR), a national solution for research management, data gathering, curation and presentation. A key component AIS CR is the Archaeological Map of the Czech Republic (AMCR), operational since 2017.

1. CZECH ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE
DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT –
DIGITIZING ARCHAEOLOGICAL
AGENDA IN THEORY AND
PRACTICE
JanHasil–DavidNovák
InstituteofArchaeologyoftheCzech
AcademyofSciences,Prague

2. (Pre)history of the Czech archaeological archiving
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• since 1919 – Institute of
Archaeology entrusted with
collecting and
disseminating of the
archaeological knowledge
• since 1950‘s part of the
Academy of Sciences (two
institutes in Prague and
Brno with regional archives)
• primary role = research
(not heritage management
or archiving)

3. Key concepts of structuring information
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• formed during 70´s and 80´s – strongly
influenced by processual theory and
settlement archaeology
• E. Neustupný: Theory of Settlement
Areas
• S. Vencl: Spatial Indentification of
Archaeological Finds (= PIAN)
• L. Hrdlička: Archaeological
Documentation Points (= trenches in
urban environment)
=> evidence of archaeological fieldwork
activities and their results
(archaeological components), not a
register of archaeological sites (!)
=> Archaeological Database of Bohemia,
primarily oriented for research purposes A book summarising development up to 2015
(Kuna et al. 2015; ISBN 978-80-87365-88-5)
http://www.archeologickamapa.cz/?page=book

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• after 1990 - a series of discrete data
blocks and applications
• 2002 - serious damage to the archival
material by flood
• after the flood – digitizing documentation
and building digital repositories
=> systemizing archival agenda
• 2012-2015 – AMCR project
• data content harmonization
• integration of databases and interfaces
• revisions and corrections of the
information
• after 2013 – Prague-Archaeological and
other minor projects
=> establishing of the Archaeological
Information System of the Czech Republic
(national ESFRI Roadmap)
Through disaster to the digital era

5. Anatomy of current archiving
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foundingfounding
funding
components and services
development and administration
development and administration

6. AIS CR „ecosystem“ ...
(1) ... database of archaeological data
(2) … geographic information system
(3) ... API services for data exchange
( Portal)
(4) ... teams of experts on
archaeological data collection and
curation (Institutes of Archaeology of
the CAS in Prague and Brno)
(5) ... SW and HW equipment for
effective data management
(6) ... interfaces for data entry and
presentation
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http://www.aiscr.cz
+

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http://www.praha-archeologicka.cz/

10. Mission of the Prague-Archaeological portal
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• based in the digital collaboration of institutions involved in the
archaeology and monument care in Prague
• concentration of relevant datasets and maps in the virtual research
environment for efficient research and heritage management
• dissemination of knowledge across scientific disciplines
(archaeology, building archaeology, geology, history, etc.)
• popularisation and presentation of the Prague archaeology to the
general public
• provision of new media channels focusing on archaeology of Prague

11. Collaboration: Scheme
of data circulation
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12. Concentration: all evidences in one web-GIS
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13. Dissemination: direct way to information
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data available for export under
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 licence

14. Popularisation: towards
public archaeology
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15. Most favorite clip on the Youtube channel:
Charles Bridge buildig process reconstruction
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Authors: O. Šefců - M. Musílek, 544.000 unique IP Adresses, over 2.000 likes

16. AIS CR - how is it special?
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• research „ecosystem“, not only a traditional archive / digital
repository (only part of its agenda)
• evolutionary approach based in the real research needs
• event-based data model, offering persistence and direct usage of data
PROS
• understandable and well-
structured content with internal
semantics preserved
• quality control possible
• influence on the knowledge
creation proces
• ready-to-use data for basic
research
• persistent evidence of the
components of archaeological
landscapes
CONS
• possible bias (partly pre-
interpreted data)
• relatively higher demands on
both data provider and the data
steward
• complicated development of
software tools and applications
(non-standardized solutions)
• priviledged status of hosting
organisation needed to reach
consensus

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Thank you!
Mgr. Jan Hasil, Ph.D. Mgr. David Novák, Ph.D.
hasil@arup.cas.cz novak@arup.cas.cz
Department of mediaeval Department of Information Sources
Archaeology and Landscape Archaelogy