At the Intersection of Past and Future

Digital Archaeology in CYA
When exploring programs abroad, CYA initially sparked my interest due to its unique course offerings. One of the courses I was most excited about taking was Introduction to Digital Archaeology and Virtual Reality.
Digital methods in archaeology are quickly gaining popularity in the discipline, yet not many universities or programs offer coursework in this area. Luckily, CYA has Dr. Hüseyin Öztürk to teach us both the theoretical and practical side of Digital Archaeology.
The goal of the class is to acquaint us with the most recent digital tools and methods, but it also helps us develop a practical skill set. To begin to accomplish this, our first assignment was a 3D model of a small object of our choice. For about a week, the Academic Center here at CYA was full of makeshift little studios, where students of all photography skill levels were attempting to take hundreds of technically perfect photographs. We then ran these photographs through photogrammetry 3D modeling software.

Austin Starley and professor Oztürk working on the small object model.
From potatoes to matchboxes to souvenir owls, we all tried and tried again to get our little models perfect.
Below are some final models made by students. Click and drag to see all sides.
For archaeology students like myself, spending countless hours in the lab getting actual practical experience in an up-and-coming subfield is a priceless experience. The same goes for Kyle Doney, a computer science and classics double major, who says he gets the best of both worlds, as this class is “the perfect way to combine these two majors”.
Many of us have additionally been volunteering at the Wiener Lab in the American School of Classical Studies, where we also get to see scientific and digital methods being employed in archaeology.
I’m so glad to have these opportunities and I think all of us are proud of the results we have gotten from our work.
Thank you professor Öztürk!
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