Archaeology and Geoinformatics: Case Studies from the Caribbean

Introduction Archaeology and Geoinformatics: Case Studies from the Caribbean

Introduction Archaeology and Geoinformatics: Case Studies from the Caribbean Basil A. Reid This volume, Archaeology and Geoinformatics: Case Studies from the Caribbean, presents a miscellany of both interesting and informative essays on the use of geoinformatics in Caribbean archaeology.The contributions are based on case studies drawn from specific island territories, namely, Barbados, St. John, Jamaica ,Nevis,St. Eustatius,Puerto Rico andTrinidad andTobago,with Chapter 1, which focuses on interisland interaction and landscape conceptualization in the Caribbean region, being the exception. Geoinformatics is one of the relatively new emphases in archaeology and can be defined as an interdisciplinary field that develops and uses information science and science infrastructure to address the problems of geosciences. In order to achieve its objectives, geoinformatics employs a battery of integrative and innovative approaches in analyzing, modeling, and developing extensive and diverse data sets. Several disciplines fall within the general purview of geoinformatics, namely, geographic information systems (GIS),global positioning systems (GPS),satellite imagery, aerial photography, photogrammetry, cartography, and geophysical surveys. However, while these techniques are increasingly being utilized in archaeology (e.g., Allen et al. 1990; Brophy and Cowley 2005; Carr 1982; Clarke 1990; Knowles 2002; Lock and Stancic 1995), most publications largely revolve around North American and European case studies,with scant attention being paid to the Caribbean. By demonstrating that this region—like anywhere else in the world—is fertile ground for the application of geoinformatics in archaeology , this volume places a well-needed scholarly spotlight on the Caribbean. THE USEFULNESS OF GEOINFORMATICS IN CARIBBEAN ARCHAEOLOGY The Caribbean is fertile ground for the following reasons. To begin with, the hive of archaeological activity in the region since the 1980s has led to an increasing demand for state-of-the-art technologies. Fourteen years ago, 2 / Introduction William Keegan (1994:255) exclaimed that “Caribbean archaeology is riding the wave of an exponential curve,” as myriad Caribbeanists had begun to “address questions of adaptation, evolution, social and political organization, mythology , cosmology, and ideology” (Ayubi and Haviser 1991; Robinson 1991; Siegel 1989). No longer is research in the Caribbean based almost exclusively on conventional survey and reconnaissance methods such as trial trenching, shovel test pitting, field walking, and ground surveys. Indeed, the various papers presented at the Twenty-First Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology (IACA), held in Trinidad and Tobago in July 2005, underscored the extent to which research agendas are being increasingly informed by a holistic mix of archaeological data, field methods, and scientific techniques, including geoinformatics. The following examples favorably reflect the growing popularity of geoinformatics within the context of Caribbean archaeology. In 1998, geophysical surveys of a Jewish cemetery in Nevis resulted in the identification of at least 44 possible burials within the cemetery in addition to the 19 marked burials (Terrell 1998). Recent studies of St. Kitts’s prehistoric settlement patterns incorporated not only reconnaissance site visits and field surveys but also the use of GIS-generated maps, including the production of 500-m buffer zones depicting possible site catchment zones (Farag and Ramlal 2005). Another example pertains to the innovative creation of a system by Landon and Seales (2005) for building three-dimensional models for Caribbean petroglyphs based on reconstructions of Taino petroglyphs at Caquana,Puerto Rico. According to Landon and Seales (2005) these digital models were aimed at allowing digital access to and preservation of petroglyphs in remote areas that often remain unprotected from the elements. By coupling aerial photographs with highly accurate survey techniques, large-scale area excavation, and a fully automated barcode-based computer system, Kappers, Fitzpatrick, and Kaye (2007) successfully created a three-dimensional model of the fast-disappearing site of Grand Bay in Carriacou. Essentially, the resulting GIS data set provided the means to construct three-dimensional modeling of the site, a necessary component for developing future strategies dedicated to investigating and protecting archaeological sites on the island (Kappers et al. 2007). Given these important developments, this volume is both timely and relevant, as it epitomizes a significant trend in Caribbean archaeology that is proving to be increasingly useful to scholarly pursuits in the region. Another important reason for this volume relates to the negative impacts on archaeological sites of sprawling urban growth, agriculture, mining, and land erosion in various Caribbean territories.These impacts have been particularly damaging to pre-Columbian sites, as these sites tend to be generally less visible on the landscape than their historic period counterparts. For instance, [18.188.44.223] Project...