Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Anthropological and Archaeological Sciences
Abstract
Technoculture, which examines the intersection of culture and technology, has increasingly permeated archaeological practice, transforming both scholarly research and public engagement [1-3]. The introduction of digital tools such as virtual reality (VR), geographic information systems (GIS), and large language models (LLMs) has democratized access to archaeological knowledge, enabling communities to engage more actively with their cultural heritage [4-6]. This short article explores the mutual influence of technocultural studies and AI technologies on archaeology, with a focus on the preservation and reconstruction of cultural narratives through digital means.
The first aspect of this intersection lies in how technocultural tools are creating more accessible and immersive methods for engaging with archaeological artifacts and narratives. Through VR and GIS-based platforms, communities can now experience their cultural heritage beyond traditional museums, often contributing to the interpretation and dialogue around these artifacts. Public archaeology has become more participatory, with digital tools offering the general public and marginalized communities opportunities to interact with and reshape their own historical narratives [7].
In parallel, the rise of LLMs in digital humanities has advanced the reconstruction of lost or endangered cultural narratives, particularly in the context of language preservation. Many archaeological artifacts, whether textual or oral, are tied to languages that are now endangered or extinct [8]. LLMs offer sophisticated models capable of processing vast corpora of data, generating reconstructions of these languages, and helping to preserve the context in which these artifacts existed. Through the preservation of the language, LLMs also provide the cultural framework that allows researchers to understand the deeper significance of archaeological findings [9].
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.32474/JAAS.2024.10.000328
Publication Date
9-2024
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Hutson, James, "Technoculture and Language Models in Archaeology: Reconstructing and Preserving Cultural Narratives Through Digital Humanities" (2024). Faculty Scholarship. 682.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/faculty-research-papers/682
Included in
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons