| The
Nemea Valley Archaeological Project (NVAP)
is documenting and explaining the changing nature and extent of
settlement
and land use within a region of the northeast Peloponnesos of
Greece.
A related goal is to study the interaction between the region and the
outside
world. NVAP is composed of geomorphological and ecological
investigations,
the study of historical archives, ethnoarchaeological and
anthropological
studies of recent settlement, intensive surface survey of
archaeological
remains, and archaeological excavation of prehistoric remains on the
hill
of Tsoungiza. The results of this project are being coordinated
with
the results of the excavations of early Iron Age through Byzantine
remains
in the Sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea (1924-1997). Documentation of
human
activity in the region spans the Late Paleolithic through Modern
periods.
The project focuses on the environmental and social conditions which
encouraged
settlement and caused periods of abandonment. It also explores
when
and why inhabitants of the region functioned autonomously or were
incorporated
within larger social systems.
Multimedia
publication of NVAP has numerous advantages. The large scope and
interdisciplinary nature of the project created information (ranging
from
text and data to photographic images and drawings) which is not suited
to the hierarchical, linear structure of a printed publication.
The
large quantity of data and images generated is not economically
reproducible
in printed form, nor will all readers need to use all the available
information.
From its beginning in 1984, NVAP's recording system was designed for
and
used computers. With the availability of hypertext, image
retrieval
systems, and virtual reality, the Nemea Valley Archaeological Project
is
prepared to produce a multimedia publication that is accessible to many
users at many levels. To this end, NVAP has collaborated with LEARNING
SITES, Inc.,
an educational and research company that specializes in the digital
reconstruction
of ancient worlds, to create a multimedia publication available on
CD/DVD.
The
first part of this publication presents the results of the excavation
of
the prehistoric settlement of Ancient Nemea on the hill of
Tsoungiza.
This settlement contains remains from the Early Neolithic period (6th
millennium
BCE)
through the end of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1200
BCE).
Presented here is a sample of information concerning the Early Bronze
Age
settlement (roughly the entire 3rd millennium
BCE).
Included are visualizations of the hillside at that time, different
phases
of the architectural remains (including a 3-D presentation of the large
central Building A), and 3-D images of artifacts. Descriptive and
interpretive text and access to data archives are incorporated in the
publication.
The presentation is organized so that everyone from the general public
to the experienced researcher can easily follow pathways through the
publication
to information appropriate to the reader's level of interest.
Completion
of the multimedia publication is projected for late 2000.
The
Nemea Valley Archaeological Project (1984-1999) is directed by James C.
Wright and sponsored by Bryn Mawr College under the auspices of the
American
School of Classical Studies at Athens. Support for the Project was
provided
by The National Endowment for the Humanities, The National Geographic
Society,
The Institute for Aegean Prehistory, the Hetty Goldman Fund of Bryn
Mawr
College, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Florida State
University,
and private donors.
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