Teaching Archeomatics at the University of Tours
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2020-10-08

By  the  neologism  Archeomatics,  built  with  reference  to  geomatics  in  geography,  we  refer  to  association between archaeology and computer science generally called Digital Archaeology but closer to the Archaeological Information Science proposed by Marcos Llobera. Since 1988, Archeomatics is taught at the University of Tours in a master degree to develop new types of archaeologists  mastering  the  most  recent  digital  methods  at  Post-Master  and  Doctorate  lev-els.  Attached  to  the  CITERE-LAT  laboratory,  this  new  master  degree  benefits  from  a  strong  partnership in training and research in rescue archaeology with INRAP. Our goal is to train future archaeologists in the field practice, particularly to meet the expectations of rescue ar-chaeology, as well as those of innovative methods and research, based on the implementation of first hand data. Students can plan their course according to their career objectives and their main interest (spatial analysis in urban or rural environments, architecture and construction techniques, zooarchaeology and studies of artefacts, from Protohistory to Modern Times) but always focusing on computerization of all archaeological research processes from excavation to dissemination. Regardless the students' initial knowledge in computer sciences, Archaeomatics was included from the beginning in BA level and then more strongly in MA level. Since Sep-tember 2018, training in archaeology and archaeomatics has been one of the courses offered by the Higher School of Heritage Intelligence, which broadens the prospects for opportunities in all heritage professions by offering modular training with thematic courses on heritage as well as digital humanities.


Elisabeth Lorans, Xavier Rodier