Thinking data. Integrative big data approaches towards an ‘introspective’ digital archaeology in the ancient Mediterranean

Abstract

Archaeological data is what economists call a ‘non-rivalrous’ good: it can be processed again and again with no diminishing of its value. The proliferation of surveys and excavations, coupled with the large-scale adoption of digitalization in archaeology, exponentially increased the amount of data. Instead of keeping isolated ‘data silos’, one of the current challenges is the aggregation and correlation of archaeological data in the 3V’s perspective of ‘Big Data’: high volume, high velocity and high variety. Archaeologists make traditionally use of SQL RDBMS databases, although the rising importance of Big Data in Computer Science has recently brought to our attention a new typology of Database Management System: the NoSQL. This typology of database can much more effectively handle Big Data by preserving a ‘more human’ approach through dynamic queries and enhanced functions of data visualisation. In this perspective, NoSQL may prove to be a fundamental tool in moving from ‘data silos’ to a more complex strategy of data management. This paper explores the potential of a specific type of NoSQL Graph database (Neo4j) of handling archaeological ‘Big Data’, through the discussion of a specific case study in Bronze Age South-western Cyprus.Archaeological data is what economists call a ‘non-rivalrous’ good: it can be processed again and again with no diminishing of its value. The proliferation of surveys and excavations, coupled with the large-scale adoption of digitalization in archaeology, exponentially increased the amount of data. Instead of keeping isolated ‘data silos’, one of the current challenges is the aggregation and correlation of archaeological data in the 3V’s perspective of ‘Big Data’: high volume, high velocity and high variety. Archaeologists make traditionally use of SQL RDBMS databases, although the rising importance of Big Data in Computer Science has recently brought to our attention a new typology of Database Management System: the NoSQL. This typology of database can much more effectively handle Big Data by preserving a ‘more human’ approach through dynamic queries and enhanced functions of data visualisation. In this perspective, NoSQL may prove to be a fundamental tool in moving from ‘data silos’ to a more complex strategy of data management. This paper explores the potential of a specific type of NoSQL Graph database (Neo4j) of handling archaeological ‘Big Data’, through the discussion of a specific case study in Bronze Age South-western Cyprus.