Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DeepFIN (Assessing Archaeological Deep Time in Finland through Spatial Exploration 500 BCE - 1520 CE)
Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31
Considerable new reservoirs of historical and archaeological data have been developed Finland and in other European countries in the recent years. This cultural heritage 'big data', however, has been under-exploited in research and there remains considerable scope for deploying quantitative and other Digital Humanities Methods in its study. In particular, owing to its time-depth, the archaeological record offers exemplary and unique opportunities for studying the effects of long-term processes on societies - many of which continue to inform modern demographic patterns.
In Finland, the body of digitized archaeological material that is well-suited to such analyses includes the Finnish Heritage Agency’s (FHA) database of archaeological sites and monuments, but significantly also a growing body of metal-detected artefact finds recovered by members of the public and recorded by the FHA. This latter represents in the Finnish context a completely new body of material that has not been properly examined through Digital Humanities and Data Sciences methods. This is also true for many other European countries where metal-detecting is legal (within restrictions) and where similar database are developed, and there is therefore considerable scope for advancing cultural heritage research on this field on a transnational scale. Furthermore, there are considerable issues related to opening this data through the Finnish national data services. DeepFIN proposes to tackle this topic, producing both research on how this material may shed new light into the past, but equally engage in the conversations on how to develop new digital digital heritage infrastructure for enhancing its availability to everyone as shared cultural reservoir.
The goal of this MSCA research programme is to analyse Finnish archaeological and historical data through spatial analysis and other Digital Humanities methodologies, in order to reassess its scientific and cultural potential, and to create new understandings for archaeological landscapes, historical settlement and material culture development during the Finnish Iron Age and Middle Ages (500 BC - AD 1520). This project will consider long-term and large-scale patterns related to human activity and material culture as they emerge from the research data, how they relate to the environment, and how they change across time. The project will equally deploy other European archaeological archaeological and historical datasets comparable to those being developed in Finland (e.g. public artefact finds material, archaeological sites, travel infrastructure and settlement data) in order to develop both qualitative and quantitative Data Sciences methods for the study cultural heritage 'big data', and advance methodological developments for the study of the past. By employing significantly under-used existing database resources, DeepFIN will seek to create ground-breaking new information on Finnish and European archaeology and history without recourse to new excavations and data collection.
In Finland, the body of digitized archaeological material that is well-suited to such analyses includes the Finnish Heritage Agency’s (FHA) database of archaeological sites and monuments, but significantly also a growing body of metal-detected artefact finds recovered by members of the public and recorded by the FHA. This latter represents in the Finnish context a completely new body of material that has not been properly examined through Digital Humanities and Data Sciences methods. This is also true for many other European countries where metal-detecting is legal (within restrictions) and where similar database are developed, and there is therefore considerable scope for advancing cultural heritage research on this field on a transnational scale. Furthermore, there are considerable issues related to opening this data through the Finnish national data services. DeepFIN proposes to tackle this topic, producing both research on how this material may shed new light into the past, but equally engage in the conversations on how to develop new digital digital heritage infrastructure for enhancing its availability to everyone as shared cultural reservoir.
The goal of this MSCA research programme is to analyse Finnish archaeological and historical data through spatial analysis and other Digital Humanities methodologies, in order to reassess its scientific and cultural potential, and to create new understandings for archaeological landscapes, historical settlement and material culture development during the Finnish Iron Age and Middle Ages (500 BC - AD 1520). This project will consider long-term and large-scale patterns related to human activity and material culture as they emerge from the research data, how they relate to the environment, and how they change across time. The project will equally deploy other European archaeological archaeological and historical datasets comparable to those being developed in Finland (e.g. public artefact finds material, archaeological sites, travel infrastructure and settlement data) in order to develop both qualitative and quantitative Data Sciences methods for the study cultural heritage 'big data', and advance methodological developments for the study of the past. By employing significantly under-used existing database resources, DeepFIN will seek to create ground-breaking new information on Finnish and European archaeology and history without recourse to new excavations and data collection.
Scientific research and the dissemination of the results, as well as Higher Education teaching and the organisation of various scientific events related to the project has been principally carried out grant holder Eljas Oksanen during 2020-2023. The work has focused on developing a combination of computational and qualitative approaches to methodologically advance the study of cultural heritage (historical and archaeological) data, creating new interpretations and knowledge of past societies and human phenomena. External funding was secured during the project to establish a small research team to develop digital solutions in Finnish cultural heritage management, resulting the open data service CoinSampo (Rahasampo.ldf.fi/en).
Main scientific results together with their dissemination at the time of writing (01.03.2024) include:
Scientific peer-reviewed articles and chapters in books
Published or accepted: 10
Submitted: 1
Planned to be submitted by end of April 2024: 4
Further scientific output is ongoing, including an edited Special Issue in an international peer-review journal (Internet Archaeology) scheduled by be published by end of 2024.
Development of public Open Access archeological/cultural heritage data services: 1
Scientific databases
Published: 1
Planned to be published by end of 2024: 1
Scientific talks:
Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops and seminars: 20
Invited talks: 7
Organising a Public Science event: 1
Communicating science methodology and theory in Higher Education courses
Taught 5 credit courses: 7
Individual session organisation or participation: 6
Scientific funding secured for further projects related to the MSCA, as either lead author or as a key member of application development team: c. 1.67 M EUR
Further information on outputs and activities can be found at:
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/eljas-oksanen
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7468-9256
Main scientific results together with their dissemination at the time of writing (01.03.2024) include:
Scientific peer-reviewed articles and chapters in books
Published or accepted: 10
Submitted: 1
Planned to be submitted by end of April 2024: 4
Further scientific output is ongoing, including an edited Special Issue in an international peer-review journal (Internet Archaeology) scheduled by be published by end of 2024.
Development of public Open Access archeological/cultural heritage data services: 1
Scientific databases
Published: 1
Planned to be published by end of 2024: 1
Scientific talks:
Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops and seminars: 20
Invited talks: 7
Organising a Public Science event: 1
Communicating science methodology and theory in Higher Education courses
Taught 5 credit courses: 7
Individual session organisation or participation: 6
Scientific funding secured for further projects related to the MSCA, as either lead author or as a key member of application development team: c. 1.67 M EUR
Further information on outputs and activities can be found at:
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/eljas-oksanen
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7468-9256
A critical component of the project is knowledge exchange and transfer between the project and wider scientific and societal contexts in which it is embedded; the importance of this is highlighted by the fact that the project deals with data and materials that generated by members of the public (citizen scientists, hobby metal-detectorists) and there is therefore both a heightened interest in the results outside the professional community, as well as an obligation to open and communicate the data and the research results. Progress beyond the state of the art, as well as the expected results, therefore includes the development and delivery of Digital Humanities, Data Sciences and Computer Sciences methods, resources and platforms as described in the project outputs, aimed a wide range of audiences within and without the academic sphere. Individual outputs include, for instance, a spatial large-scale assessment of Finnish Iron Age material culture generated by the novel application of computational methods to Finnish archaeology databases generated by members of the public. These research results, which also include research that underlay the publication of a Open Cultural Heritage data service demonstrator (Rahasampo/CoinSampo: https://rahasampo.ldf.fi/en) increase understanding, dissemination and access to past material culture, and develop the national FAIR data digital infrastructure for cultural heritage. This participates positively in the broader critical moment in the digitalisation of the society, enhancing the value and relevance of this cultural heritage to everyone.