Representing Intangible Heritage: Questions Concerning Method

Abstract

The research explores issues concerning the relation between text and images – an interesting field of enquiry little explored to date – involving archaeological heritage that has not survived and is therefore based on descriptions of artefacts and sites. Nowadays, this heritage can exist again thanks to digital technologies (relational databases) and methodologies (conceptual modelling) that allow the construction of 2D and 3D models. Studied here are the relations between the text and conceptual categories, between description and classification of objects in order to understand how all words and terms influence the results of interpretation and interaction between different profiles in the construction of models. In this context digital methodologies are discussed to assess the actual state of archaeological information systems and reflect upon possible future directions.