A Digital Registry for Archaeological Find Spots and Excavation Documentation in IANUS

Abstract

Grey literature (site notebooks, reports etc.) and research data in archaeology are invaluable sources of information currently lacking a central reference registry in Germany. This paper discusses requirements and the underlying data model of a registry to be developed for find spots and archaeological excavation data within the IANUS project at the German Archaeological Institute. This registry is to collect information on archaeological investigations data for a finding aid service. The focus for this registry will be based on the collection of metadata about primary data and grey literature, not on secondary data or on publications. Starting with the acquisition of basic metadata needs drawn from the IANUS mission and project charter. A review of already existing projects and initiatives in this field (EDNA, tDAR, ADS, Open Context) provides more details about which information should be captured during a registration of research data for a long term digital preservation archive. Finally recommendations for the data model of this registry are drawn from the evaluation of existing generic and archaeology-specific metadata standards (Dublin Core, EDM, LIDO, ADeX, CARARE).