Ancient History of Indigenous South America: Augmented Reality and Digital Archaeology at...
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2024-03-16

João Vinícius Chiesa Back

The present proposal is based on the extroversion of the archaeological heritage of the University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (MUAE/UFRGS) through the creation and use of 3D digital simulations of archaeological artifacts related to the Ancient History of Indigenous South America (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, is known for having been one of the main targets of an intensive European immigration project (mainly Germans and Italians) carried out during the Empire of Brazil (1822-1889) and the First Brazilian Republic (1889-1930) between the 19th and 20th centuries.  This phenomenon obscured, at least in part, the history of the indigenous peoples settled in the region before, during, and after this period. Considering this, this paper highlights the history of the formation of the museum's archaeological and ethnographic collection, as well as previous theoretical and practical experiences related to Digital Archaeology. Finally, it showcases potential uses of Mobile Augmented Reality through a Public History product aimed at disseminating part of the museum's archaeological collection (six artifacts attributable to indigenous peoples from different regions of the mentioned context from periods prior to European colonization) to the general public and explores discussions carried out by History, Museology, and Archaeology, delving into cyber-archaeology and digital humanities. The aforementioned digital (re)constructions were created using 3D modeling software, specifically Blender 3.4., and have contributed to increased socialization, dissemination and appreciation of the communicative potential of the collection.