NFDI4Objects at the association’s conference from 7 to 11 October 2024 in Bochum

This year, the annual conference of the three German classical studies associations will take place in Bochum from 7 to 11 October 2024. It is being organised by the Northwest German Association for Classical Studies (NWVA) in cooperation with the German Mining Museum Bochum, the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe and the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at the Ruhr University Bochum. NFDI4Objects will be represented with a focus topic.

The full programme can be found on the conference homepage at https://va-bochum-2024.de/.

Publication volume on the conference published

The contributions to the main topic of NFDI4Objects at the annual conference of the three German antiquities associations have now been published online as an open access publication: https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/arch-inf/issue/view/7320

NFDI4Objects at the annual conference of the antiquities associations

NFDI4Objects will be represented on Wednesday, 9 October 2024, from 8:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the focus topic “From digitally supported excavations to digital services in archaeology” with several speakers from the consortium on the topic of research data management in archaeology.

From 9:50 a.m., our co-spokesperson, Kai-Christian Bruhn, will give a lecture on “Competencies in research data management: an attempt at differentiation”. Afterwards, from 10:10 a.m., Bernard Weisser (co-spokesperson) and Max Resch will speak about digital security documentation in the museum context.

After the coffee break, from 11:00 a.m., Philipp von Rummel, spokesperson for the consortium, and Christin Keller, managing director of the consortium, will give an overview of the research data infrastructure NFDI4Objects.

In the afternoon, Anja Gerber and Domenic Städtler will present the minimal data set from 3:00 p.m. and Florian Thiery, Lasse Mempel-Länger, Kristina Fella, Allard Mees, Stefanie Baars, Angela Berthold and Andreas Puhl will then present current developments and offers from the NFDI4Objects work areas Task Area 2: Collecting and Task Area 4: Protecting.

Finally, Yiu-Kang (Gary) Hsu, Jan Sessing, Ingolf Löffler and Thomas Stöllner (co-speaker) will give an insight into a data model for a research infrastructure for managing FAIR data/metadata in archaeometric laboratories from 5:20 p.m.

We look forward to your participation!

Call for Papers

Submit papers and posters for the conference of the archaeological associations by 30 June!

The material tradition is the central source for scientific and technical work in archaeology. Today, their scientific, historical and cultural significance is usually described in digital databases through multi-layered analyses and contextualisation. Their diversity, heterogeneous contexts and complex (object) biographies pose a particular challenge for integrated digital research. Today, all archaeological work is accompanied by digital datasets and the question of research data management systems as well as fundamental considerations regarding the digital life cycle. This poses numerous challenges for institutions and science. This debate, which has now become established throughout Germany and internationally, is increasingly shaping the work of universities, heritage conservation organisations, excavation companies, museums and associations. The long-term and accessible provision and use of digital data stocks in archaeology and the development of digital services will be the focus of the plenary session at this year’s conference of the archaeological associations. The questions seem simple at first: What changes in archaeological practice are necessary to exploit the potential of an integrated digital way of working? What are the needs of users, institutions, commercial companies and project developers?

The following topics will be explored in depth through keynote speeches and contributions from the community:

  • Digital services in archaeology: goals, benefits and implementation
  • What benefits arise from digital services for the data life cycle in archaeology? Applications between everyday excavation, museum work and scientific work.
  • Which services should be developed, already exist or are planned for archaeology in Germany and beyond?
  • What role do archaeologists and other stakeholders (such as interest groups) play in research data management systems and digital services?
  • What content should be addressed in the future and where?
  • Storage and long-term use of digital data: What to do with my data?
  • Accessibility and governance: OpenSource, OpenData, OpenAccess, OpenContent against the background of national and international requirements (GDPR; UNESCO).
  • Professionalisation and qualification: requirements for teaching content and organisation of archaeological work.

Call for Participation

For the plenary session on National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) on 9 October 2024 at the Conference of Archaeological Associations (hosted by the Northwest German Association for Archaeological Research with the German Mining Museum in Bochum and the Institute for Archaeological Sciences from 7 to 11 October 2024), we welcome submissions of papers or posters from researchers, young scholars and students who deal with the challenges of digital data management in archaeology. Keynote speeches on individual topics should last 30 minutes, individual papers 15 minutes and 10 minutes of discussion time each; a keynote lecture will introduce the plenary session. Publication of the conference papers as OpenAccess (Gold Standard) is intended.

Abstracts can be submitted until 30 June 2024 via reform@ressourcencampus-bochum.de as co-organiser (contact person Ms Pia Weber, M.A.) of the conference. They should have a maximum length of 500 words. Please indicate whether you would be available for a keynote speech, a paper or a poster session. Individual services should be presented in the poster session if possible. Thank you very much. We look forward to your submissions! The plenary session will be accompanied by an information event organised by the NFDI4Objects consortium. NFDI4Objects is a multidisciplinary consortium within the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). The initiative is aimed, among others, at archaeologists and researchers whose work focuses on the material heritage of around three million years of human and environmental history and addresses the challenges of modern research data infrastructures.

  • Thomas Stöllner, German Mining Museum, Ruhr University Bochum
  • Kai-Christian Bruhn, i3mainz, Mainz University of Applied Sciences
  • Christin Keller, German Archaeological Institute
  • Philipp von Rummel, German Archaeological Institute
  • Jan Sessing, German Mining Museum Bochum
  • Frank Siegmund, German Society for Prehistory and Early History e.V.

More information on the conference at: https://va-bochum-2024.de/