To mark Girls’ Day on April 23, 2026, the Department of Applied Computer Science and Geodesy at Mainz University of Applied Sciences opened its doors to 17 high school students. In the workshop “Archaeology Meets Technology—We Document Archaeological Finds!”, participants gained insights into the interplay between archaeology and digital technologies.
The focus was on how archaeological finds are properly documented before they are removed from their context of discovery. The students learned that archaeologists and technicians work closely together on excavations, using a variety of methods and equipment. They were able to apply this knowledge directly in a hands-on setting: In a simulated excavation in the university’s courtyard, they searched for shards—3D-printed fragments from the ARS3D project—which they then measured, photographed, and systematically documented.
Another part of the program introduced the participants to digital research. Using the Arachne database of the German Archaeological Institute, they researched their finds and uncovered additional information about the objects.
This highlighted the role that digital technologies play in archaeology today. Many finds are now captured using 3D scanners and made available as digital models. This was illustrated using the example of the so-called African Red Slip Ware from the 3rd to 5th centuries CE by the Leibniz Center for Archaeology (LEIZA), which had been digitally scanned and semantically modeled by LEIZA and i3mainz between 2018 and 2021 as part of the ARS3D —African Red Slip Ware—between 2018 and 2021 as part of the ARS3D project.
Through this project, the students learned about the advantages of 3D documentation. Digital models not only enable a precise analysis of an object—without having to handle the original, thereby preserving it—but also provide location-independent access to archaeological objects. The workshop provided a hands-on demonstration of how digital methods support archaeological research and open up new ways of engaging with cultural heritage.
Photos: Donata Gerhards and Nicole Bruhn, CC BY-SA 4.0
