EAA 2023: Abstract

In collaboration with external colleagues, The excellence cluster ROOTS (https://www.cluster-roots.uni-kiel.de/en?set_language=en) works on a fortification database with a European scope. The database was started with the sites of the metal ages in South Scandinavia and North Germany and will be expanded in three directions: time, space information depth. This paper will describe the structure of the database and the reasons for choosing this particular solution.

The planning of the database takes into account the following requirements:
- simplicity
- low-maintenance
- openness

The database needs to be rather simple in order to enable people to use the database. This requirement has to be balanced with the with to include as much information as possible. The database is intended to survive the current excellence cluster and hence to work with low resources in an interoperable format. Low maintenance is mandatory for the project. Finally, the database is intended to fit reproducible workflows. This requires a certain openness and some specific technical features that must be identified.

The experience with several other archaeological databases led to the decision to shape this one differently from many others ones. First, we dispense with traditional database management systems in order to reduce the workload for maintenance and simplify long-term availability. This led to a git-based approach. Second, we concentrate on the denormalization of the database in order to increase the usability and reusability -in a FAIR approach- of the system. A system of a few very simple tables in combination with specific text-based data types allows a powerful application that requires minimal resources and is expandable.

Fortification, database, data structure, hillfort, FAIR, de-normalisation

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Oliver Nakoinz¹