Books by Erin Walcek Averett
Visualizing Votive Practice: Limestone and Terracotta Sculpture from Athienou-Malloura through 3D Models (2020), 2020
Visualizing Votive Practice is an innovative, open-access, digital monograph that explores the li... more Visualizing Votive Practice is an innovative, open-access, digital monograph that explores the limestone and terracotta sculptures excavated from a rural sanctuary at the site of Athienou-Malloura (Cyprus) by the Athienou Archaeological Project. Chapters on the archaeology of the site, the historiography of Cypriot sculpture, and perspectives on archaeological visualization provide context for the catalogue of 50 representative examples of votive sculpture from the sanctuary. The catalogue not only includes formal and contextual information for each object, but also embeds 3D models directly onto the page. Readers can not only view, but also manipulate, measure, zoom, and rotate each model. Additionally, links at the bottom of each entry unleash high-resolution models with accompanying metadata on the Open Context archaeological data publishing platform and on via the Sketchfab 3D viewing platform as well. This innovative monograph is aimed at a variety of audiences, from Mediterranean archaeologists and students to specialists interested in 3D visualization techniques.
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by Derek Counts, Erin Walcek Averett, Jody Michael Gordon, Steven Ellis, Adam Rabinowitz, Matthew Sayre, Christopher F Motz, Brandon R . Olson, Gabriela Ore Menendez, Samuel B Fee, Shawn A Ross, Libertad Serrano Lara, Andrew Fairbairn, Matthew Spigelman, and J. Andrew Dufton Mobilizing the Past is a collection of 20 articles that explore the use and impact of mobile digi... more Mobilizing the Past is a collection of 20 articles that explore the use and impact of mobile digital technology in archaeological field practice. The detailed case studies present in this volume range from drones in the Andes to iPads at Pompeii, digital workflows in the American Southwest, and examples of how bespoke, DIY, and commercial software provide solutions and craft novel challenges for field archaeologists. The range of projects and contexts ensures that Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future is far more than a state-of-the-field manual or technical handbook. Instead, the contributors embrace the growing spirit of critique present in digital archaeology. This critical edge, backed by real projects, systems, and experiences, gives the book lasting value as both a glimpse into present practices as well as the anxieties and enthusiasm associated with the most recent generation of mobile digital tools. This book emerged from a workshop funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities held in 2015 at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. The workshop brought together over 20 leading practitioners of digital archaeology in the U.S. for a weekend of conversation. The papers in this volume reflect the discussions at this workshop with significant additional content. Starting with an expansive introduction and concluding with a series of reflective papers, this volume illustrates how tablets, connectivity, sophisticated software, and powerful computers have transformed field practices and offer potential for a radically transformed discipline.
Individual chapters are available for free download, here:
http://dc.uwm.edu/arthist_mobilizingthepast/
by Derek Counts, Erin Walcek Averett, Jody Michael Gordon, Adam Rabinowitz, Steven Ellis, Rebecca E Bria, Christopher F Motz, Matthew Sayre, Eric Poehler, Brandon R . Olson, Samuel B Fee, Libertad Serrano Lara, Shawn A Ross, Andrew Fairbairn, and J. Andrew Dufton For more information, please visit:
https://thedigitalpress.org/mobilizing-the-past-for-a-digital... more For more information, please visit:
https://thedigitalpress.org/mobilizing-the-past-for-a-digital-future/
Mobilizing the Past is a collection of 20 articles that explore the use and impact of mobile digital technology in archaeological field practice. The detailed case studies present in this volume range from drones in the Andes to iPads at Pompeii, digital workflows in the American Southwest, and examples of how bespoke, DIY, and commercial software provide solutions and craft novel challenges for field archaeologist. The range of projects and contexts ensures that Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future is far more than a state-of-the-field manual or technical handbook. Instead, the contributors embrace the growing spirit of critique present in digital archaeology. This critical edge, backed by real projects, systems, and experiences, gives the book lasting value as both a glimpse into present practices as well as the anxieties and enthusiasm associated with the most recent generation of mobile digital tools.
Articles and Chapters by Erin Walcek Averett
Ancient Art Revisited: Global Perspectives from Archaeology and Art History, edited by Christopher Watts and Carl Knappett. Routledge., 2023
This contribution applies New Materialism and Assemblage Theory approaches to look beyond the for... more This contribution applies New Materialism and Assemblage Theory approaches to look beyond the formal and representational qualities of Cypriot art to explore how these images functioned in religious settings. I concentrate on a particular type of art, votive figurines and statues dedicated during a critical period in Cypriot history, and in particular I focus on the scientifically excavated and surveyed rural sanctuary at Athienou-Malloura in the Malloura Valley. By examining sanctuaries as vibrant assemblages, we can understand them as charged spaces in a constant state of becoming as people, things, and landscapes co-created dynamic object worlds that were perpetually in flux. More than material components of ephemeral prayer, in these spaces votives were highly efficacious and functioned beyond their initial creation and motivation, their meanings continually re-interpreted. As part of these vibrant assemblages, votive art was not merely for display, but actively shaped the mental processes of worshippers and co-created dynamic sacred spaces. Through this lens Cypriot art, long derided as conservative and static, now emerges as vibrant and powerful.
Iron Age Terracotta Figurines from the Levant in Context, edited by E. D. Darby and I.J. de Hulster, 2021
World Archaeology, 2021
Worked bucrania and figural representations of masked men dating from the 12th-5th centuries BCE ... more Worked bucrania and figural representations of masked men dating from the 12th-5th centuries BCE provide striking evidence for ritual performances using animal masks in ancient Cyprus. This study flips the traditional approach to this rich body of material. Rather than focusing on the cult or the socio-political contexts of these performances, I instead explore the production of zoomorphic masks and the impact of masking on the wearer. Drawing on new approaches pioneered in social zooarchaeology and using New Materialities perspectives, this analysis delves deeper into the human-animal relationship in Cyprus and how that was expressed in masking ceremonies. Moving beyond simplistic associations of bull masks with a vaguely defined bull god, this study argues for a more complex and integrated relationship between humans and the natural world that was expressed in Cypriot religion through divine animal attributes, animal sacrifice and feasting, and zoomorphic masking rituals.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2021.1900903
Proceedings of the Hellenistic and Roman Terracottas: Mediterranean Networks and Cyprus Conference, 3-5 June 2013, Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, 2019
The Physicality of the Other. Masks from the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, edited by A. Berlejung and J. Filitz. Orientalische Religionen in der Antike. RA. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. 305-37., 2018
Many archaeological objects are recovered as fragments, and 3D modelling offers enormous potentia... more Many archaeological objects are recovered as fragments, and 3D modelling offers enormous potential for the analysis and reconstruction of large assemblages. In particular, structured light scanning provides an accurate record of individual artefacts and can facilitate the identification of joins through details of breakage surfaces and overall morphology. The creation of 3D digital models has the further advantage of enabling the records to be accessed and manipulated remotely, obviating the need for prolonged access to the original materials in museums or repositories. Here, the authors detail the use of structured light scanning to produce a corpus of 3D models based on a sample from a large assemblage of terracotta and limestone sculptural fragments from the Cypro-Archaic period (c. 750–475 BC) at Athienou-Malloura, Cyprus.
Many archaeological objects are recovered as fragments, and 3D modelling offers enormous potentia... more Many archaeological objects are recovered as fragments, and 3D modelling offers enormous potential for the analysis and reconstruction of large assemblages. In particular, structured light scanning provides an accurate record of individual artefacts and can facilitate the identification of joins through details of breakage surfaces and overall morphology. The creation of 3D digital models has the further advantage of enabling the records to be accessed and manipulated remotely, obviating the need for prolonged access to the original materials in museums or repositories. Here, the authors detail the use of structured light scanning to produce a corpus of 3D models based on a sample from a large assemblage of terracotta and limestone sculptural fragments from the Cypro-Archaic period (c. 750–475 BC) at Athienou-Malloura, Cyprus.
American Journal of Archaeology 119.1: 3-45., Jan 2015
The island of Cyprus is well known for its abundance of masks, which have been the subject of foc... more The island of Cyprus is well known for its abundance of masks, which have been the subject of focused studies as well as broader investigations on Phoenician and Punic masks. Yet, there is no comprehensive and diachronic overview of this important corpus contextualized within its Cypriot setting. This article reevaluates the evidence for masking rituals in Late Bronze and Iron Age Cyprus through close analysis of archaeological contexts and use patterns to reconstruct masked performances. The evidence underscores the long tradition of masking on the island and reveals use patterns that allow a partial reconstruction of the social significance of masking ceremonies. At the end of the Bronze Age through the era of the autonomous city-kingdoms, masks likely functioned as symbolic objects used in constructing social identities and can be associated with restricted groups practicing rituals at key sanctuaries. Masking rituals flourished within the autonomous city-kingdoms and dramatically ended with the incorporation of Cyprus into the Ptolemaic kingdom.
Journal of Field Archaeology 40(2): 204-20.
An Archaeologist’s Eye: the Parthenon Drawings of Katherine A. Schwab, 2014
UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive c... more UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Dedications in clay: Terracotta figurines in Early Iron Age Greece (c. 1100--700 BCE). by ...
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Books by Erin Walcek Averett
Download open access in link below (FREE):
Individual chapters are available for free download, here:
http://dc.uwm.edu/arthist_mobilizingthepast/
https://thedigitalpress.org/mobilizing-the-past-for-a-digital-future/
Mobilizing the Past is a collection of 20 articles that explore the use and impact of mobile digital technology in archaeological field practice. The detailed case studies present in this volume range from drones in the Andes to iPads at Pompeii, digital workflows in the American Southwest, and examples of how bespoke, DIY, and commercial software provide solutions and craft novel challenges for field archaeologist. The range of projects and contexts ensures that Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future is far more than a state-of-the-field manual or technical handbook. Instead, the contributors embrace the growing spirit of critique present in digital archaeology. This critical edge, backed by real projects, systems, and experiences, gives the book lasting value as both a glimpse into present practices as well as the anxieties and enthusiasm associated with the most recent generation of mobile digital tools.
Articles and Chapters by Erin Walcek Averett
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2021.1900903
Download open access in link below (FREE):
Individual chapters are available for free download, here:
http://dc.uwm.edu/arthist_mobilizingthepast/
https://thedigitalpress.org/mobilizing-the-past-for-a-digital-future/
Mobilizing the Past is a collection of 20 articles that explore the use and impact of mobile digital technology in archaeological field practice. The detailed case studies present in this volume range from drones in the Andes to iPads at Pompeii, digital workflows in the American Southwest, and examples of how bespoke, DIY, and commercial software provide solutions and craft novel challenges for field archaeologist. The range of projects and contexts ensures that Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future is far more than a state-of-the-field manual or technical handbook. Instead, the contributors embrace the growing spirit of critique present in digital archaeology. This critical edge, backed by real projects, systems, and experiences, gives the book lasting value as both a glimpse into present practices as well as the anxieties and enthusiasm associated with the most recent generation of mobile digital tools.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2021.1900903
This paper’s goal is to share the workshop’s results in order to challenge Near Eastern archaeologists to think about how mobile computing workflows impact the practice and interpretive value of archaeology. Papers presented at the Mobilizing the Past workshop brought to light the pros and cons of converting to digital or “paperless” workflows, and also the issues and challenges that will likely dominate the discourse on future attempts to digitize archaeological data “at the trowel’s edge” including: time management, cost, data quality and quantity, systems’ design, usability, and interpretive power, and data democratization. Overall, this paper sheds light on the best practices in mobile computing in archaeology that emerged from the workshop and emphasizes their potential to improve current archaeological practices.
This poster presents the results of our pilot season implementing an accurate but cost-effective process to create high-resolution 3D data sets. A close-range projection structured light scanning system with customized hardware and software packages was developed for our project by the Center for Visualization. The equipment includes a Flea3 8.8 MP Color camera, a BenQ 1080p projector to illuminate each object with a known pattern, and purpose-built software to scan, reconstruct, mesh, texture map, and visualize objects. The objects scanned include a range of scales and materials: terracotta figurines, limestone statues, bone, glass and ceramic vessels. In addition to developing protocols and a set of best practices for the scanning process, we were able to generate an accurate and sample corpus of 3D models. The metadata (which records the geometry and shape of the object, as well as its appearance) has already proven to be a powerful tool; for example, final models can be measured with a digital ruler to .5 mm accuracy across any part (or the whole) of the object. Likewise, a printed prototype from a limestone head reveals an amazing degree of accuracy with respect to surface detail and form. Subsequent phases of this project will experiment with developing a predictive data processing algorithm that will use geometric dimensions, surface texture, and break patterns to propose potential joins among our thousands of terracotta and limestone fragments and use the 3D models to ask further research questions regarding manufacture techniques and surface treatments.