Papers by Sveta Matskevich
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2024
This article engages the houses of the southern Phoenician coastal city of Tel Dor as a means to ... more This article engages the houses of the southern Phoenician coastal city of Tel Dor as a means to explore the social practices and smaller-scale economic activities of residents. It uses access and lighting analyses alongside observations of architectural planning and decoration in four case-study houses from distinct areas of the city. The approach elucidates how particular domestic spaces function and the social logic that shapes them. It shows that socially diverse residents lived within the city. While there is a locally distinctive approach to domestic architecture connecting these Hellenistic- to Roman-era case studies, preferences for the
articulation of space vary by neighborhood and status. Even within social
class, some houses show greater receptivity to new planning and decorating styles. Finally, it demonstrates that only the very finest house clearly eschews the broader Roman trend of incorporating household industries to support the economic growth of the residents.
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
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Internet Archaeology, 2021
In this article, the authors present two points of view on the preservation and dissemination of ... more In this article, the authors present two points of view on the preservation and dissemination of archaeological data in Israel: an official version of the policy makers (the Israel Antiquities Authority, henceforth IAA), and the view from the archaeological, especially academic, community outside the IAA. This includes an assessment of the strategies undertaken (or not) over the last 40+ years resulting in the majority of data being inaccessible, and documenting significant data loss since the 1990s. This is followed by current work to address these issues, including not only efforts to digitise but misconceptions about the problems digitisation both solves and creates, along with recommendations for how to approach the issues going forward.
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CyberResearch on the Ancient Near East and Neighboring Regions, 2018
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book, 2018
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Excavations at Dor, Final Report. Area G, the Late Bronze and Iron Ages: Pottery, Artifacts, Ecofacts and Other Studies (Qedem Reports 11), 2018
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CyberResearch on the Ancient Near East and Neighboring Regions, 2018
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CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going. Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology., 2016
The long-lived, intensely occupied, urban sites in the Near East and around the Mediterranean arg... more The long-lived, intensely occupied, urban sites in the Near East and around the Mediterranean arguably present archaeology with its toughest riddles; combining problems of complex stratigraphy, complex societies, long and complex histories and—often—complex ideological baggage on the part of investigators and spectators. The history of Levantine archaeology is a story of methodological traditions of borrowed and developed techniques of excavation and recording. Today Near Eastern archaeologists use several relatively standardized recording systems that reflect different and, at the first glance, incompatible approaches: a form-driven locus system and a spit system based on an excavation journal—each of which has several variations. Yet, analysis of these systems on a conceptual level shows that both systems use two basic entities, a spatial (locational) unit and a find. Theoretically, both of these systems espouse a positivistic world-view, in which “the archaeological record” is deemed unitary and objective, and can be “read” unambiguously (e.g. by dividing it into precise depositional units or assigning deterministic attributes to artifacts).
In this presentation I shall define the locus system and its variations, and demonstrate how it can be mapped to a reference model (e.g. CRM EH) as a mean of integrating data from various recording systems.
Next, I will present a proposal for a radically new model of recording system, based on principles more in fitting with a post-processual / non-deterministic theoretical stance. This system is meant to stress the interpretative character of the archaeological record. The fundamental entity in it is an observation event. Post-factum, we can only look at the site (or any component of it) through the eyes of the beholder[s]. This also implies that even basic attributes of an entity (e.g. '[in X’s opinion] this sherd belongs to type A') may acquire several values. i.e. the system is built to support different sets of observations on any entity. Next, we claim that relations (physical, stratigraphical, ontological) lie in the foundation of archaeological reasoning. [Observations about] relations should be epistemologically equivalent to [observations about] spatial entities and [observations about] objects found within them. Thus spatial units (loci or spits), finds, and relations form the next level in the proposed model. Finally, we observe that observations or relations may relate either to unitary entities (a single locus or a single find) or to composite entities (a “phase”, a “building”, a “type”). We thus define two types of classes: a ‘context’ is any [specifically named and defined] aggregate of atomic spatial units and an ‘assemblage’ is any [specifically named and defined] aggregate of finds. A ‘scenario’ therefore, is any arrangement of these classes that forms the outline of a ‘story of the site’ presented to a site-report reader. Such a system, we claim, can formally model a much wider swath of archaeological discourse than conventional site-recording systems.
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The significance of the PEF in the early archaeological investigation of the Levant is much appre... more The significance of the PEF in the early archaeological investigation of the Levant is much appreciated and well-studied. Yet, it is rarely acknowledged that PEF played a key-role in setting the standards of the organization and recording of archaeological excavation that went far beyond the antiquarian tradition, and serve archaeologists till today.
In this study, I analysed architectural drafting and surveying methods, used for the first PEF projects, and have tried to reconstruct the process of formation of archaeological draughtsmanship in the Levant.
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Phéniciens d'Orient et d'Occident - hommage à Josette Elayi, 2013
During the Hellenistic period and perhaps earlier Cypriot
'Kourikia' amphorae were traveling acr... more During the Hellenistic period and perhaps earlier Cypriot
'Kourikia' amphorae were traveling across the Eastern Mediterranean, carrying wines, oils and other valuable liquids. Yet, due to the problems with the identification of these vessels in ceramic assemblages outside the island, their ratio is underrepresented in many site reports. This undoubtedly influences our understanding of the scale, routes and mechanism of trade networks in the region. Several sherds identified as Cypriot amphora fragments were found at Tel Dor (Israel), among them four stamped amphora handles with
Cypro-Syllabic inscriptions. In this paper, we demonstrate the criteria for assessing these imported containers and discuss paleographic characteristics of stamp impressions which seem to have been made on some of these amphorae
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Thesis Chapters by Sveta Matskevich
This study consists of two parts. In the first one I discuss historical and conceptual aspects of... more This study consists of two parts. In the first one I discuss historical and conceptual aspects of archaeological recording systems in the Levant. The second part presents problems of the preservation of archaeological records in the age of digital data, and suggests solutions on the national level.
History and structure of archaeological recording systems
Archaeology became an academic discipline when antiquarians started to record the process of excavations and their results. Recording is an essential component of archaeological field methods and its goal is preservation of observations of the excavator in order to enable processing and publication of the excavation results. Whether section drawings of test-pits and diaries of pioneer excavators or modern computerized systems, field records reflect the character of the site, the excavator and the whole complexity of the excavation process.
Historical analysis of the components of the archaeological recording reveals that it is assembled from methods borrowed from various disciplines. The development of recording was therefore always dependant on other technologies and sciences. None of these techniques (except for the Harris matrix) is an internal archaeological invention; it is their conjunction that created a unique methodology. Recording methods in Levantine archaeology today are the result of a long tradition that started with the first excavations in the Near East at the end of the 19th century. It was strongly influenced by European archaeology during the first part of the 20th century, and developed independently during the last six decades.
Each recording system is a construct composed of entities, documents and relations between them on one hand, and the workflow that prescribes how to operate with them on the other. A differentiation is usually made between structured (based on a set of forms) and unstructured (based on a diary narrative) recording systems. On the conceptual level, recording systems work with two basic entities: a spatial (locational) unit and a find. The differentiation between the two is not trivial despite the seeming conceptual dissimilarity. Other components of the system are groups of these basic entities and relations between them. The data types with which archaeologists operate are very diverse. Text, graphics (sketch, photo) and numeric data are traditionally the basic data types, but with the development of technologies, they are accompanied and even replaced by 3D models, LiDAR maps, etc. These new technologies available to archaeologists today permit development of integrated recording systems that aim at collecting and processing more accurate three-dimensional digital data. Yet, a good recording system is not necessarily the most structured and computerized one, but the one that suits best the site and the excavators’ research agenda.
Dissemination and preservation of archaeological records
Excavation records are the primary source that shapes subsequent publication of the excavation results, especially the most comprehensive one - the final report. Field records, therefore, serve as the mediator between the excavation event, time and the observer on one hand, and archaeological knowledge as it is presented to the readers in excavation reports. This mediator carries with it the subjectivity of observation, and transmits it further to the following stages of archaeological process (influenced by various factors, from the excavator’s personal preferences to the theoretical fashions). Archaeologists must admit that their records and the methods of their processing are as important as historical primary sources studied by historiographers.
Long-term preservation of archaeological records is of highest importance for the discipline. Deposited with archaeological archives around the world, there records continue to serve as our knowledge base and a source for further research.
In the scientific archive of the Israel Antiquities Authority stored documentation of excavations from the times of the British Mandate till today. In the age of digital recording this archive should continue to play its important scientific role but requires reorganization and adjustments to new technologies and recording media. The proposed digital archive should be able to preserve digital documents of various formats, and to make them accessible to the potential users. Long-term preservation of the archived documents requires careful planning of the archive structure, preservation strategy, standards for data formats and meta-documentation of the deposited materials. In order to ensure sustainability of the archive, users need to have Internet access at least to its inventory, while the content may be password-protected, and accessible or limited in accordance with the Israeli Freedom of Information Law and the Antiquities Law.
Specific recommendations of standards, principles and technologies toward creation of the national digital archive of archaeological data conclude the practical part of the study.
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Excavations by Sveta Matskevich
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Conference Presentations by Sveta Matskevich
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Other by Sveta Matskevich
The third volume on digital and computational practices is currently under preparation and should... more The third volume on digital and computational practices is currently under preparation and should be in open access too as previous digital practices volumes in addition to the printed volume.
At the moment we still accept contributions themed around Biblical Studies, Levant, Egypt, and more broadly Mediterranean world from the Iron Age until Late Antiquity.
Please send your proposals (maximum 500 words) to one of the co-editors by May 1, 2020.
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Books by Sveta Matskevich
ÄGYPTEN UND ALTES TESTAMENT Band 110, 2022
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Papers by Sveta Matskevich
articulation of space vary by neighborhood and status. Even within social
class, some houses show greater receptivity to new planning and decorating styles. Finally, it demonstrates that only the very finest house clearly eschews the broader Roman trend of incorporating household industries to support the economic growth of the residents.
In this presentation I shall define the locus system and its variations, and demonstrate how it can be mapped to a reference model (e.g. CRM EH) as a mean of integrating data from various recording systems.
Next, I will present a proposal for a radically new model of recording system, based on principles more in fitting with a post-processual / non-deterministic theoretical stance. This system is meant to stress the interpretative character of the archaeological record. The fundamental entity in it is an observation event. Post-factum, we can only look at the site (or any component of it) through the eyes of the beholder[s]. This also implies that even basic attributes of an entity (e.g. '[in X’s opinion] this sherd belongs to type A') may acquire several values. i.e. the system is built to support different sets of observations on any entity. Next, we claim that relations (physical, stratigraphical, ontological) lie in the foundation of archaeological reasoning. [Observations about] relations should be epistemologically equivalent to [observations about] spatial entities and [observations about] objects found within them. Thus spatial units (loci or spits), finds, and relations form the next level in the proposed model. Finally, we observe that observations or relations may relate either to unitary entities (a single locus or a single find) or to composite entities (a “phase”, a “building”, a “type”). We thus define two types of classes: a ‘context’ is any [specifically named and defined] aggregate of atomic spatial units and an ‘assemblage’ is any [specifically named and defined] aggregate of finds. A ‘scenario’ therefore, is any arrangement of these classes that forms the outline of a ‘story of the site’ presented to a site-report reader. Such a system, we claim, can formally model a much wider swath of archaeological discourse than conventional site-recording systems.
In this study, I analysed architectural drafting and surveying methods, used for the first PEF projects, and have tried to reconstruct the process of formation of archaeological draughtsmanship in the Levant.
'Kourikia' amphorae were traveling across the Eastern Mediterranean, carrying wines, oils and other valuable liquids. Yet, due to the problems with the identification of these vessels in ceramic assemblages outside the island, their ratio is underrepresented in many site reports. This undoubtedly influences our understanding of the scale, routes and mechanism of trade networks in the region. Several sherds identified as Cypriot amphora fragments were found at Tel Dor (Israel), among them four stamped amphora handles with
Cypro-Syllabic inscriptions. In this paper, we demonstrate the criteria for assessing these imported containers and discuss paleographic characteristics of stamp impressions which seem to have been made on some of these amphorae
Thesis Chapters by Sveta Matskevich
History and structure of archaeological recording systems
Archaeology became an academic discipline when antiquarians started to record the process of excavations and their results. Recording is an essential component of archaeological field methods and its goal is preservation of observations of the excavator in order to enable processing and publication of the excavation results. Whether section drawings of test-pits and diaries of pioneer excavators or modern computerized systems, field records reflect the character of the site, the excavator and the whole complexity of the excavation process.
Historical analysis of the components of the archaeological recording reveals that it is assembled from methods borrowed from various disciplines. The development of recording was therefore always dependant on other technologies and sciences. None of these techniques (except for the Harris matrix) is an internal archaeological invention; it is their conjunction that created a unique methodology. Recording methods in Levantine archaeology today are the result of a long tradition that started with the first excavations in the Near East at the end of the 19th century. It was strongly influenced by European archaeology during the first part of the 20th century, and developed independently during the last six decades.
Each recording system is a construct composed of entities, documents and relations between them on one hand, and the workflow that prescribes how to operate with them on the other. A differentiation is usually made between structured (based on a set of forms) and unstructured (based on a diary narrative) recording systems. On the conceptual level, recording systems work with two basic entities: a spatial (locational) unit and a find. The differentiation between the two is not trivial despite the seeming conceptual dissimilarity. Other components of the system are groups of these basic entities and relations between them. The data types with which archaeologists operate are very diverse. Text, graphics (sketch, photo) and numeric data are traditionally the basic data types, but with the development of technologies, they are accompanied and even replaced by 3D models, LiDAR maps, etc. These new technologies available to archaeologists today permit development of integrated recording systems that aim at collecting and processing more accurate three-dimensional digital data. Yet, a good recording system is not necessarily the most structured and computerized one, but the one that suits best the site and the excavators’ research agenda.
Dissemination and preservation of archaeological records
Excavation records are the primary source that shapes subsequent publication of the excavation results, especially the most comprehensive one - the final report. Field records, therefore, serve as the mediator between the excavation event, time and the observer on one hand, and archaeological knowledge as it is presented to the readers in excavation reports. This mediator carries with it the subjectivity of observation, and transmits it further to the following stages of archaeological process (influenced by various factors, from the excavator’s personal preferences to the theoretical fashions). Archaeologists must admit that their records and the methods of their processing are as important as historical primary sources studied by historiographers.
Long-term preservation of archaeological records is of highest importance for the discipline. Deposited with archaeological archives around the world, there records continue to serve as our knowledge base and a source for further research.
In the scientific archive of the Israel Antiquities Authority stored documentation of excavations from the times of the British Mandate till today. In the age of digital recording this archive should continue to play its important scientific role but requires reorganization and adjustments to new technologies and recording media. The proposed digital archive should be able to preserve digital documents of various formats, and to make them accessible to the potential users. Long-term preservation of the archived documents requires careful planning of the archive structure, preservation strategy, standards for data formats and meta-documentation of the deposited materials. In order to ensure sustainability of the archive, users need to have Internet access at least to its inventory, while the content may be password-protected, and accessible or limited in accordance with the Israeli Freedom of Information Law and the Antiquities Law.
Specific recommendations of standards, principles and technologies toward creation of the national digital archive of archaeological data conclude the practical part of the study.
Excavations by Sveta Matskevich
Conference Presentations by Sveta Matskevich
Other by Sveta Matskevich
At the moment we still accept contributions themed around Biblical Studies, Levant, Egypt, and more broadly Mediterranean world from the Iron Age until Late Antiquity.
Please send your proposals (maximum 500 words) to one of the co-editors by May 1, 2020.
Books by Sveta Matskevich
articulation of space vary by neighborhood and status. Even within social
class, some houses show greater receptivity to new planning and decorating styles. Finally, it demonstrates that only the very finest house clearly eschews the broader Roman trend of incorporating household industries to support the economic growth of the residents.
In this presentation I shall define the locus system and its variations, and demonstrate how it can be mapped to a reference model (e.g. CRM EH) as a mean of integrating data from various recording systems.
Next, I will present a proposal for a radically new model of recording system, based on principles more in fitting with a post-processual / non-deterministic theoretical stance. This system is meant to stress the interpretative character of the archaeological record. The fundamental entity in it is an observation event. Post-factum, we can only look at the site (or any component of it) through the eyes of the beholder[s]. This also implies that even basic attributes of an entity (e.g. '[in X’s opinion] this sherd belongs to type A') may acquire several values. i.e. the system is built to support different sets of observations on any entity. Next, we claim that relations (physical, stratigraphical, ontological) lie in the foundation of archaeological reasoning. [Observations about] relations should be epistemologically equivalent to [observations about] spatial entities and [observations about] objects found within them. Thus spatial units (loci or spits), finds, and relations form the next level in the proposed model. Finally, we observe that observations or relations may relate either to unitary entities (a single locus or a single find) or to composite entities (a “phase”, a “building”, a “type”). We thus define two types of classes: a ‘context’ is any [specifically named and defined] aggregate of atomic spatial units and an ‘assemblage’ is any [specifically named and defined] aggregate of finds. A ‘scenario’ therefore, is any arrangement of these classes that forms the outline of a ‘story of the site’ presented to a site-report reader. Such a system, we claim, can formally model a much wider swath of archaeological discourse than conventional site-recording systems.
In this study, I analysed architectural drafting and surveying methods, used for the first PEF projects, and have tried to reconstruct the process of formation of archaeological draughtsmanship in the Levant.
'Kourikia' amphorae were traveling across the Eastern Mediterranean, carrying wines, oils and other valuable liquids. Yet, due to the problems with the identification of these vessels in ceramic assemblages outside the island, their ratio is underrepresented in many site reports. This undoubtedly influences our understanding of the scale, routes and mechanism of trade networks in the region. Several sherds identified as Cypriot amphora fragments were found at Tel Dor (Israel), among them four stamped amphora handles with
Cypro-Syllabic inscriptions. In this paper, we demonstrate the criteria for assessing these imported containers and discuss paleographic characteristics of stamp impressions which seem to have been made on some of these amphorae
History and structure of archaeological recording systems
Archaeology became an academic discipline when antiquarians started to record the process of excavations and their results. Recording is an essential component of archaeological field methods and its goal is preservation of observations of the excavator in order to enable processing and publication of the excavation results. Whether section drawings of test-pits and diaries of pioneer excavators or modern computerized systems, field records reflect the character of the site, the excavator and the whole complexity of the excavation process.
Historical analysis of the components of the archaeological recording reveals that it is assembled from methods borrowed from various disciplines. The development of recording was therefore always dependant on other technologies and sciences. None of these techniques (except for the Harris matrix) is an internal archaeological invention; it is their conjunction that created a unique methodology. Recording methods in Levantine archaeology today are the result of a long tradition that started with the first excavations in the Near East at the end of the 19th century. It was strongly influenced by European archaeology during the first part of the 20th century, and developed independently during the last six decades.
Each recording system is a construct composed of entities, documents and relations between them on one hand, and the workflow that prescribes how to operate with them on the other. A differentiation is usually made between structured (based on a set of forms) and unstructured (based on a diary narrative) recording systems. On the conceptual level, recording systems work with two basic entities: a spatial (locational) unit and a find. The differentiation between the two is not trivial despite the seeming conceptual dissimilarity. Other components of the system are groups of these basic entities and relations between them. The data types with which archaeologists operate are very diverse. Text, graphics (sketch, photo) and numeric data are traditionally the basic data types, but with the development of technologies, they are accompanied and even replaced by 3D models, LiDAR maps, etc. These new technologies available to archaeologists today permit development of integrated recording systems that aim at collecting and processing more accurate three-dimensional digital data. Yet, a good recording system is not necessarily the most structured and computerized one, but the one that suits best the site and the excavators’ research agenda.
Dissemination and preservation of archaeological records
Excavation records are the primary source that shapes subsequent publication of the excavation results, especially the most comprehensive one - the final report. Field records, therefore, serve as the mediator between the excavation event, time and the observer on one hand, and archaeological knowledge as it is presented to the readers in excavation reports. This mediator carries with it the subjectivity of observation, and transmits it further to the following stages of archaeological process (influenced by various factors, from the excavator’s personal preferences to the theoretical fashions). Archaeologists must admit that their records and the methods of their processing are as important as historical primary sources studied by historiographers.
Long-term preservation of archaeological records is of highest importance for the discipline. Deposited with archaeological archives around the world, there records continue to serve as our knowledge base and a source for further research.
In the scientific archive of the Israel Antiquities Authority stored documentation of excavations from the times of the British Mandate till today. In the age of digital recording this archive should continue to play its important scientific role but requires reorganization and adjustments to new technologies and recording media. The proposed digital archive should be able to preserve digital documents of various formats, and to make them accessible to the potential users. Long-term preservation of the archived documents requires careful planning of the archive structure, preservation strategy, standards for data formats and meta-documentation of the deposited materials. In order to ensure sustainability of the archive, users need to have Internet access at least to its inventory, while the content may be password-protected, and accessible or limited in accordance with the Israeli Freedom of Information Law and the Antiquities Law.
Specific recommendations of standards, principles and technologies toward creation of the national digital archive of archaeological data conclude the practical part of the study.
At the moment we still accept contributions themed around Biblical Studies, Levant, Egypt, and more broadly Mediterranean world from the Iron Age until Late Antiquity.
Please send your proposals (maximum 500 words) to one of the co-editors by May 1, 2020.