Using Computer Graphics in Archaeology: A Struggle for Educative Science or to Educate Science?
Thursday, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Room 511AB

As in many other scientific endeavours, computer graphics are widely used in archaeology. However, a large gap still seems to exist between glamorous CG projects intended for a wider audience (generally rejected by the scientific community) and hard-core survey programs (day-to-day, in-the-field use of CG). This reveals a difficult question: Is the use of CG dangerous in itself in archaeological communication, or is it simply difficult to communicate in a nuanced way? As usual, the answer might lie in between: CG can be used wisely while playing the communication game, taking advantage of the many layers of knowledge that can be embedded in a computer model and its multiple and diverse educative possibilities.

Alan Chalmers
University of Bristol
Alan.Chalmers (at) bristol.ac.uk

Kevin Cain
Insight San Francisco