2020-2021 Faculty Research Grants

Rhonda Root, Ariel Solis and Oystein LaBianca, (Architecture, Behavioral Sciences)

Digital Visualization and Interaction for the Historical Cultural Landscape of Hisban and Vicinity

The field of archaeology is expanding beyond the traditional sharing of information through printed books and archaeological publications. In order to be more relevant, archaeologists are embracing various new digital technologies such as 3-D visualization, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other interactive digital media. The present proposal seeks funding to further pilot and implement the use of such technologies as a means to strengthen data acquisition, data curation, data analysis and dissemination of research by Andrews University led archaeological teams in Jordan. Last summer, with partial funding from OSR, Solis and Root made an initial visit to Jordan to gather data and experience needed to produce a proof of concept for moving forward with grant applications in support of this agenda. This fall they were able to contribute their experience to efforts spearheaded by LaBianca to seek external funding for the Hisban Online Publication Project (HOPP). Their research provided a proof of concept that was essential to preparation of grant proposals to three highly competitive programs (two to NEH and one to ACLS). This summer, and unlike last summer, our team has the opportunity to seek input on our modeling efforts from the many experts that will be part of the 2020 field season at Tall Hisban. We need their input on questions we have about the historical contexts of successive occupational horizons, how buildings were used and reused, and how the tell and its surrounding landscape evolved over the centuries. The trip to Jordan this summer, for the first time, will allow our team to be able to test the entire suite of software that we have been stitching together to create moving image visualizations of the historical and cultural landscape of Hisban.