Digital Antiquity: Transforming Archaeological Data Into Knowledge

Digital Antiquity (http://digitalantiquity.org) is a new organization dedicated to establishing an online digital repository of archaeological data and documents. Its primary goals are to expand dramatically access to the digital records of archaeological investigations and to ensure their long-term preservation. Through a web interface, users world- wide will be able to discover and download data and documents relevant to their research. Users also will upload their own data and documents along with the metadata (the data about the data) to the repository, known as tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record), thereby making it possible for others to discover and effectively use the uploaded information. The access provided to documents and databases will permit scholars to create and communicate knowledge of the long-term human past more effectively and to enhance the management and preservation of archaeological resources.